Forgotten Fantasy
by The Gun Specialist
Summary: Sakura feels that she has forgotten everything. She has forgotten her memories. She has forgotten who she loves. She has forgotten the past of her family. She has forgotten who to trust. She had even forgotten how dangerous her other half was. "Who will be there to remind me who I am? What if it's too late and I forgot that too?" T for language. Don't like? Then don't read.
1. Team 7

**G.S. NOEL: I'M SO SORRY TO ANY READERS WHO HAVE READ MY PREVIOUS VERSIONS OF THIS STORY. I WENT THROUGH SERIOUS PHASES OF WRITER'S BLOCK WITH IT, AND I'VE JUST GOTTEN IT FIGURED OUT! *SLAPS KNEE* YES! SO, YEA, NO MORE CHANGES WILL BE ADDED, I PROMISE, AND I'VE GONE BACK AND RE-EDITED THIS CHAPTER AND A FEW MORE WITH DIFFERENT CHANGES. THANKS TO THOSE WHICH HAD GIVEN ME CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, I HAVE TAKEN MOST OF THEM INTO CONSIDERATION. I JUST HOPE THAT THIS CHAPTER DOESN'T SUCK. BADLY. **

**WARNING: I GET REALLY SIDE TRACKED WITH MY STORIES! IT MIGHT JUST HAPPEN THAT NARUTO STARTS GOING ROUND IN RANDOM PARTS OF THIS CHAPTER SCREAMING "DATTEBAYO!"**

* * *

**_Inner Sakura thinging_**

_Thinking_

_**"Inner Sakura Speaking"**_

"Talking"

* * *

"Sakura-chan! Slow down for a second!" Sakura could hear Naruto's outburst from the bench that she had just pasted. Her lips were pressed in a firm thin line, and her legs suddenly felt heavy. She bet that Naruto had already caught up to her.

She sighed, and quickened her pace, wanting to find a place to hide from the embarrassing moment she had just experienced, and Naruto.

_**What's to run away from anyway?**_

_Myself._

"Sakura-chan, aren't you excited? I'm so happy that we're on the same team!" Naruto was now walking beside her, shouting his words into her right ear. Sakura clenched her fist, her eyebrow twitching. Man, was this kid annoying. And, how she'd love to put him back in his place.

"Sakura-chan, what's wrong?" Naruto blurted out suddenly, and Sakura came to a stop. You're annoying, don't get in my way. Sasuke's voice wouldn't leave her alone, and she had to force the tears back. She let her long bangs fall onto her face, as she gritted her teeth. This wasn't suppose to end up like this! One hour ago She, and Sasuke, the object of her affection had just been assigned on the same team! Oh and Naruto...

"Sakura...chan?" Sakura lifted up her head, and bored her eyes into his ocean blue ones. Her mouth opened to say something, but then she pressed her lips back together in thought. "Naruto?"

"H-Hai," Naruto was really confused, Sakura shouldn't be gloomy. In fact she should be the exact opposite, jumping in excitement. But, alas, her eyes were still downcast.

"Am I annoying...to you?" She asked barely above a whisper, but low enough for Naruto to hear. Her hands made their way to her thighs, gripping the red fabric around them. She desperately waited for Naruto's answer. She wouldn't dare cry...

Naruto raised an eyebrow, but quickly grinned, and gave her a thumbs up, almost hitting her. Sakura gasped and backed away. "Nope, not at all Sakura-chan! You're the smartest and prettiest girl I've ever met!" He said laughing to himself.

Sakura tried to stop herself from smiling, but she failed. Naruto, you Baka. She started snickering as a smirk arose. Naruto stopped laughing, and dropped his hand to his side.

_Geez, what an idiot._

"S-Sakura-chan?" He stuttered, taking a step back. Sakura gritted her teeth and pulled back her fist.

"What did I do wrong?" Naruto paled holding his hands up in defense. Sakura smiled innocently. "You don't know?" She asked lightly, her voice sounding innocent.

Naruto shook his head quickly, as his life flashed through his eyes. Why the hell was Sakura so bipolar?

Sakura's forehead shone in the sunlight, and she smiled. "YOU IDIOT, YOU ALMOST HIT ME JUST THEN!" She socked him in the face, and he flew into the air, passed the Ichiraku Ramen shop.

"SHANNARO!" She shook her fist threateningly before sighing and letting it fall back to her side.

Sakura sighed in relief. OK, now she was feeling better. And hopefully, Naruto wouldn't end up in the hospital.

* * *

"Now then, what are your likes, dislikes, hobbies, and goal, Pinkie?"

Sakura's pink eyebrow twitched, and she gritted her teeth, and closed her green eyes. "What do you mean, Kakashi-Sensei?" She asked innocently, her head was cocked to the side. "Wouldn't it be best if you go first and set an example? After all it would be quite rude if you didn't introduce yourself first." She finished, opening her eyes.

_Ha! Take that Sensei._

Sasuke didn't look interested, and Naruto kept on nodding with her request.

"Yeah, yeah."

Kakashi gave her a one eye smile. "I would be happy to." He said.

_**Cocky ass bastard.**_

"Alright Gakis, My name's Hatake Kakashi. I like...well, I dislike...um, and my hobbies are," He looked at each Genin seriously, which sent a shiver up all their spines, "Are none of your business My goal is...I'll come back to you about that. Your turn Pinky." Kakashi smiled, and Sakura groaned.

_The only thing we learned was his name._

She thought helplessly. Her team was sitting on the roof of the Academy, enjoying the breeze.

But, it seem like She was the only one, not enjoying it.

"Hai, hai, hai. OK, my name is Haruno Sakura, and before any of you ask, yes, this is my real hair color." Her fingers were tangled in her hair in thought.

"My likes are..." She trailed off as she instantly thought of Sasuke, but quickly shook her head. "Strawberrys, dango, sweets, and books. My dislikes are bugs, my father, and people who wear masks to prevent people from seeing their true selves. My hobbies are cooking with my mom, reading books, and eating sweets. My goal for the future is to..." She trailed off and glanced at Sasuke.

_No, no, stop being annoying!_

_**No, no. You should continue looking like a lovesick helpless puppy that had just been picked off the street.**_

_Hey! _

"Meet my father's expectation and protect my family!" She fumed at her inner's thoughts. Well, that was all she could come up with at the moment. It wasn't fake, it was all true shit.

Kakashi nodded, but was confused. Hadn't the reports mention that Sakura was a Fan girl of the Uchiha?

Naruto was dumbfounded. Wasn't Sakura going to confess her undying love for Sasuke-Teme?

Sasuke had a comical expression on his face. Had she already gotten over him so face? How lucky was he!

"Blondie."

"YOSH! My Uzumaki Naruto! My likes are Ramen, the Old Man, Iruka sensei, and Sakura-chan!(Sakura blushed) My dislikes are arrogant/Emo people(Sasuke snorted), people who judge others, and the 3 minutes it takes to cook ramen. My goal is to be Hokage and earn the respect of everyone! Dattebayo!"

Kakashi nodded, not surprised.

Sakura sweat dropped, and shook her head, Naruto would never change. And that was...a good thing?

_Aren't you going to make a snide comment, or something?_

_**No, you make one.**_

"Emo kid."

Snicker.

_**At least I wasn't the only one thinking of it.**_

_And now you have the nerve to make one?!_

Sasuke's mouth twitched, but he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Uchiha Sasuke, I don't like a lot of things, I have many dislikes, my hobbies are training, and my goal is to kill a certain person." Sasuke added the last part darkly.

Kakashi nodded, again. Not expecting rainbows to come out of the boy's mouth.

Sakura gave him a thoughtful look that read, 'Where-the-heck-did-his-cool-attitude-go?'

_**What a cock.**_

_You're giving me a headache. Leave me alone..._

Naruto paled, thinking that Sasuke was after him, and Sakura groaned.

_**Hey, Sakura, I feel sorry for you. Liking such a shit head.**_

_You and your f-re-ak-ing comments! Shut up already!_

Kakashi nodded, sighed in annoyance. What did he not expect from this kid?

"So, so, when's our first mission?" Naruto asked eagerly, backing Kakashi into a corner. Kakashi sweat dropped, and he ushered Naruto away gently.

Sakura fiddled around with them hem of her red battle dress, as she occasionally glanced sideways at Sasuke.

_**Could you stop blushing, your making it uncomfortably hot up here. **_

_..._

"Yeah, before that we'll be doing some Survival Training." Kakashi said in a hard tone, breaking the ice. Sakura took a double take.

_Does he want to kill us ALREADY? I don't want to die young!_

"S-Survival Training already? But, D-Rank missions don't usually require the use of survival! Besides, wasn't training at the academy enough?" Sakura babbled, arms flailing. Naruto and Sasuke had their ears open, clearly excited.

_Do you see those two idiots?! Am I the only one who has a brain that's functioning properly here?!_

_**Pssh, I can take them **_**all **_**on.**_

_And you too- Shut the _HELL _up already!_

Kakashi stood up, sticking his hands into his pockets as he looked at the view of the Civilian houses, and the happy children running around and playing. "Don't worry," His eye closed. "I won't go that easy on you."

_BUT THAT _WASN'T _WHAT I WAS _WORRIED _ABOUT!_

Sakura paled. "WAIT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY, "I won't go that easy on you," !" Sakura was already on her feet, pointing accusingly at her sensei. Sasuke plugged his fingers into his ears, clearly annoyed with the noise. Naruto just sat there close legged.

Sakura dropped her hand, her mouth gaping as she heard her Sensei chuckle. "W-What's so funny Sensei?" She asked, sitting back down .

Kakashi stop chuckling, and smiled at them innocently. "Of the 27 Genin, only 9 will be chosen as Genin. The rest will be be sent back to the Academy. "

Sakura felt dizzy, and her face turned green. _I think that I'm about to puke._ Sasuke's face turned grim and he glared down at his hands.

_In order to kill Itachi, I must pass this Survival Training_, he tightened his fists and his dark eyes hardened.

Naruto was unfazed, and he was staring at Kakashi.

"This training is a super difficult exam with a failure rate of over 66%!" Kakashi exaggerated, glaring at them through his mask. Sakura gulped, and looked at her now white knuckles. Passing this exam might be the only way to prove to Sasuke that she wasn't weak or annoying.

**_OK_**_**, we all know that you're going to fail Sakura. Save yourself the shame and just give it up.**_

_Like hell I would do that._

She glanced at Naruto and her large green eyes softened. Naruto, kind of looked a bit broken. The blond haired idiot was glaring at the ground in thought. Sakura pushed away her bangs, and sighed.

_I kind of feel sorry for the guy, seeing him like that...just wasn't right. Wait, where did that come from._

_***Sniff* *sniff* The heart. You're feeling empathetic.**_

"Who cares?" Naruto's soft voice broke the silence, and Sakura stared at him in shock. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" Kakashi crouched in front of Naruto glaring at him with one eye.

Naruto jumped up, his headband holding back his bangs. A grin lit his face and he jabbed a finger to his Orange clad chest. "I said, who cares about that chance of not becoming Genin? I don't believe in that, cause I'm gonna be the next Hokage! One stupid test won't change that! Dattebayo!" Naruto roared.

Sakura felt that she now saw Naruto in a new light. That Baka was so energetic.

"Ne, Sakura-chan?" Naruto then brought his attention to her. Sakura nodded quickly, lips quivering in anticipation. That's right, she would have to give this exam all she's got!

Kakashi gave them a shrug and walked pass Sakura. Sakura felt her heart quicken. "Bring all your Shinobi equipment with you tomorrow. I want you at Training Grounds 7, at 7:30, sharp, if not, earlier. Oh, and don't eat breakfast tomorrow, you'll puke." Kakashi brushed off Sakura and Naruto's comical expressions and disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"If we eat breakfast, we'll Puke." Sakura repeated to herself, attempting to drill it in her brain.

"See you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto waved, jumping off the rooftop, grinning like the idiot he was.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, who had already stood up, hands in his pockets. Sakura felt her cheeks burn as Sasuke stared at her for what had been the longest in her entire life, fifteen seconds. "Don't get in my way, dead weight. You are nothing but an unnecessary addition to this team, even Naruto can be can be considered useful. If you ruin this opportunity for me, I won't let it go that easily. " Sasuke spat coldly, before leaping away on rooftops.

_**Again let me repeat. What a cock! I'd like for him to say that to my **_**FUCKING face. **_**I will burn all his organs and shove the ashes up his ass, and cut off his testicles and feed them to my rabbit!**_

Sakura sat there, with her eyes already watering, and she bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering. She didn't dare watch Sasuke's back as he retreated back to the Uchiha Compound. She wrapped her arms around her knees, and cradled her head, nesting it in her soft pink hair.

She sucked in a deep breath, and the wind pick up a strand of her hair. She closed her eyes tightly and exhaled. Oh god, what was she thinking? Was she even fit to be a ninja?

_I'm such an idiot._

Sakura angrily tried to wipe away the tears with her arm, but every time she'd wipe one away, more would flow out. Why? Why does he constantly throw these hurtful words at me? I wonder if this is how Naruto feels like when I say hurtful words to him... Her inner had been silent the whole time, and Sakura hugged herself, crying even more, since she was alone.

Her headband had slipped off her head, and had ended up around her neck. Sakura didn't notice this and she gripped her pink hair in frustration, wanted to shout out how confused she was.

"Sakura,"

Sakura stopped and dropped her hands to her sides, grunting in a response, but didn't look up, already knowing who it was.

"Sakura, it's time to go home. You know how your father gets sometimes. He doesn't like it when you're out this late." The woman in the Anbu uniform said softly. Sakura was as still as a rock, as she watched the kids of civilians be dragged off by their parents.

"Sakura, Honey, what's wrong?" The woman asked, softly stroking Sakura's pink hair. Her own red hair tied up in a bun. She wore a fox mask.

Sakura shook her head, not wanting her mother to see her tear streaked face, and think that she was weak.

"Nothing, Mom." Sakura said bitterly, her hair flowing in the wind. Her mother chuckled a bit, playing with Sakura's hair.

"Oh, are you sure? My little Cherry Blossom?" Her mother asked, grasping her shoulders reassuringly.

"Yeah, I just want to go home." Sakura stood up, and didn't even bother to dust off her clothes. Her mother's expression was very difficult to see behind her mask.

"Home seems like the best option right now."

_No it doesn't._

* * *

"Sakura," Her father had given her a nod, notifying her of knowing her presence Sakura bowed, making her way to the small table, her hair in a bun. Her mother had made Miso, shrimp, and Beef Ramen in celebration of her making Genin.

"So, who's your Sensei?" Her mother asked, in excitement. Sakura sighed to herself. "Hatake Kakashi-Sensei." She muttered.

Her mother nodded.

"Teammates?"

Sakura cringed, she really wasn't ready to talk about her team.

"Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke."

"Your team shows promise, because of the Uchiha. The other kid is just some dead weight, like you."

Sakura felt her eyes burning and she stared down at her bowl full of ramen. Naruto would be enjoying this, wouldn't he? she swore that she could see his grinning face reflecting in her Miso soup.

Sakura poked at her noodles, her stomach churning. She just wasn't hungry.

"Sakura-chan, aren't you hungry?" Her mother asked, separating her chopsticks. Sakura nodded, slurping some Ramen, before chewing slowly, and swallowing.

"Oi! Saku-Onee! Aren't you on a diet!" Her little brother, Akihiro outburst, pointing a finger at his older sister in shock.

Sakura glared at him, and slurped some more of her Ramen.

"Etsuko, what is wrong with your child?" Sakura's father asked her mom, who's face was hard, and she glared at the man. "Hold your tongue, Gurou " Etsuko said darkly, tightening the hold on her cup full of tea. "Don't you dare ruin Sakura-chan's night."

Sakura had already finished a bowl, and refilled it with Miso Ramen. Akihito, Akihiro's twin brother grimaced at his older sisters actions and drank some of his tea.

"Onee-chan, would you please remember your manners at the table. Please don't disgrace father." Akihito said lightly.

"Oh come on, lighten up, you old prune! Isn't it great that Saku-Onee's eating properly?" Akihiro said excitingly, bouncing in his seat.

"Please keep your opinions to yourself, Akihiro." Akihito said, glaring at his older brother. Akihiro stuck out his tongue at him. "Shut up! You're such a downer, Akihito!" Akihiro slurped his Ramen happily.

"Fat pig,"

Akihiro stopped slurping and glared at Akihito, who smirked.

"Prick."

Akihito gaped.

"Dumbass."

"Kid with a stick up his ass."

"immature brat."

"Kid with a tree up his ass."

"Dickless fool!"

"Kid with Konoha up his ass!"

"Oi! Akihiro, Akihito, cut it out, before BOTH of you'll have to explain to Mom why you have your feet stuck up your asses!" The redheaded twins glared at each other, and looked away, arms folded.

*****_**Whistle* Shit just got real.**_

Gurou frowned at his children's behavior. He dropped his chopsticks, and cleared his throat.

"What have you been teaching these two, Sakura?" Gurou asked, his hand slamming onto the table in anger. Sakura didn't flinch, but her brother's did.

_**Here we go again.**_

"Nothing, father." Sakura spat, her hands aching to punch her father.

"Yes, nothing but vulgar language. And that's they'll be the next legacy of the Haruno Clan, when they unlock the Bloodline Limit. You don't even show any promise for the future, so you can quit being a ninja, and to not bring any shame down unto the Haruno name. You don't deserve being a Kunoichi of Konoha. You are worthless. Say it, mean it." Gurou sneered, his hand threateningly close to her pale face. Sakura cringed, and closed her eyes tightly.

"H-Hai. I am worthless, I don't deserve being a-" Her Mom's hand shot out in front of Sakura, before she could finish what she was about to say.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Sakura-chan." Etsuko commanded softly. She swatted Gurou's hand away from Sakura's face, and ushered Sakura and her brother's upstairs.

"Go upstairs now, children. Remember that I love you." Etsuko kissed them each on their brow and gave them a tiny push up the stairs.

Sakura took the lead, walking up to her bedroom and closing the door. She plopped herself onto her bed, and stared up at the ceiling. Her legs refused to move around, and she gripped her red bed sheets.

She smelled them and sighed in relief. They smelled faintly of her mom. She had just washed them.

Knock.

Sakura's mouth pressed in a thin line. "Come in." The opened to reveal her two brother's with blankets and pillows each.

Sakura blinked. "Is there something you guys need?" She asked, concerned. Were they still a bit shaken up about what had happened in the Dining Room?

"Saku-Onee, can we please sleep with you?" Akihiro asked, holding his pillow close to his chest. Akihito repeated the action, green eyes softening. "Hmph, it's not like I was scared or anything, Onee-chan." Akihito quickly said.

Sakura blinked.

"We're scared that something bad might happen." They said in perfect unison. Sakura sighed helplessly. She patted the spot beside her on the bed, and scooted over, giving them more room.

"To tell you the truth, I don't feel that I'll be all that great of a ninja." Sakura revealed, running a hand through her mob of pink hair hair.

The twins were next to her in a blur, and stared at her with curious big green eyes. Sakura did a double take.

"W-What?" She stuttered, all ready expecting them to start making insulting comments about her. Akihito and Akihiro shared a look.

"But, if you quit, who would be the one to teach us?" They asked in sync. Something they didn't do quite often. Sakura blinked in confusion as Akihito and Akihiro continue to pressure her.

"You guys are getting trained by father, which is great enough." She said, all bit too edgy. After all she was granted with the opportunity to be trained to become an elite.

"Who would torture us everyday?" Akihito asked her.

"Who would give us wet willies before we'd go to School?" Akihiro asked.

"Who would haunt us in our nightmares?!" Akihito asked, his green eyes getting bigger. Sakura sighed. "Who would be the one to stop our fighting with threatening comments that almost make us piss our pants?"

_**Are they really going to continue?**_

_I hope not. I really sound like a horrible older sister._

"Will you quit?" They both asked, rearing closer to their big sister. Sakura paled, shaking her head.

"No, definitely not." Sakura objected, turning around.

Akihiro and Akihito looked at each other. "Are you going to train?" They asked her. Sakura glanced at them, and sighed.

"H-Hai. Akihiro, Akihito, your big sister is tired of being weak, and I want to prove my worth to not only my new team," She clutched her fist. "But, also Father." She pulled them both into a small hug. "Thanks for helping me realize that." She kissed them both on their foreheads which made them react negatively.

"Eww! Yuck! Why would you do that?" Akihiro complained wiping his forehead with his sleeve. Akihito nodded furiously, doing the same as well. Sakura giggled before turning off the lights. She drew the blankets over her brothers and grabbed some extra sheets, to sleep on the couch with.

"Goodnight you two. "

She couldn't tell if they had heard her, but a couple of minutes later, she could hear the sound of snoring. She could feel her brain pounding in her skull. She couldn't sleep, and she couldn't think.

But, at least her inner was silent and left her in peace.

So, for now, she should enjoy the moment and sleep. She closed her eyes, and closed her lips into a line, focusing on sleeping.

"I think that they're sleeping. I feel so upset with how dinner went. It was bad enough that we couldn't celebrate Sakura graduating last week because I was on a mission. But, this was supposed to make it up to her." Her mother's voice. Sakura's eyelids slowly opened.

"Shut up."

"But-"

Dead silence.

"Someone's awake."

Sakura's eyelids flew open, and she clamped her hand over her mouth. Shit. Her mom was an Anbu captain, while her father used to be one. How could she forget that with their sharp senses, they could tell if she was awake or not.

"Why would any of them be awake at this hour?"

She almost sighed in relief at her mother's quick response.

"The only person aside from those three is the inner that resides in Sakura's body."

She hears her mother gasp in disbelief, or was it in shock. What were they so serious about? Who were they even talking about? Inner? Her inner? Impossible, she was just another part of Sakura, and how would her parents know about her inner?

"You know that isn't true. Hokage-Sama sealed that thing. His seal is unlikely to break so easily ."

_Hokage-Sama? What does he have anything to do with this? A seal? There's a seal on me?_

"Did you really think that that old geezer's seal would last that long? It's been five years, Estuko. You're an idiot for thinking so naively."

"I-I-"

"Drop it, Estuko. I'll see you in the morning."

Sakura heard the door down the hall slam close. She couldn't even imagine how pissed her mother was. Sakura took in a deep breath of air after unclasping her hand from her mouth. Great, now she couldn't sleep at all. After hearing that conversation, it made her want to know more.

* * *

"GET OUT OF BED! IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP!"

Sakura opened her eyes groggily and lifted her head off the arm of the couch. Her hand touched her head briefly, and she turned her head to look at her small kitten Alarm Clock. Her green eyes showed confusion, and she slapped at hand over them, feeling even more restless. Her two brothers were staring at the Alarm Clock as well, with a displeased frown on their faces.

"What is this? It's too early." Hiro groaned. Hito covered his head with a pillow. "Let's go back to sleep."

"What the heck? It's only 7:00. It's too early~." Sakura threw the blanket back over her head, and snuggled into the soft fabric, falling asleep effortlessly.

Estuko stood at the door, with her twin butcher knives in her hands, and a pissed off scowl on her face. She wore a purple blouse, with black pants, and her hair was down. Her face started to get red.

"WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT IS THIS?! DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?!" She threw the first knife a few inches above Akihiro's head. Akihiro's eyes shot open, and he started sweating bullets. "GET YOUR ASSES OUT OF BED, NOW!" A second one landed one centimeter away from Akihito's nose. He screamed out in shock and horror.

Sakura, annoyed with all the commotion, sat up and decided to open her mouth at the wrong moment. "What the fuck is up with all this noise? I'm trying to sleep. Do you know how hard it is to sleep with all your yapping? Geez, are you PMS-ing or something?" She slurred clueless, ignoring the dark aura around Etsuko.

A knife flew towards Sakura, but thank god for her quick reflexes, she cocked her head to the side, and saved her head from getting severed. But, her bangs were sacrificed. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates now.

Estuko smiled grimly. "We can continue going on like this if you insist. The stew takes twenty minutes to warm up anyway." She took out another knife from her back.

"I'M UP! I'M UP!"

* * *

**G.S. NOEL: AND THAT'S A WRAP! **

**SAKURA: I'M SO TIRED.**

**G.S. NOEL: GOT TO SLEEP THEN. -_-"**

**SAKURA: IF YOU INSIST.**

**G.S. NOEL: GO AHEAD.**

**ETSUKO: GET THE FUCK OUT OF BED SAKURA!**

**SAKURA: I'M UP! I'M UP!**

**NARUTO: R&R!**


	2. Team Work!

**G.S. NOEL: UGH! I'M SO SORRY! IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO GO BACK AND EDIT THIS CHAPTER! I TRIED MY HARDEST WITH THE FIGHTING SCENE, I KINDA SUCK AT DOING THAT EVEN THOUGH I'VE DONE IT SO MANY TIMES. SO, SORRY IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE FIGHTING, SKIP IT ALL IF YOU'D LIKE. BUT, LIKE I SAID, I TRIED. ENJOY!**

* * *

"This is stressing me out, and I have lost all my respect for Kakashi-Sensei," Sakura said defeated. She and the rest of her team, excluding Kakashi, were all thinking of strategies for when their Survival Training would start.

Well, at least Sakura was. She had no idea what the other two were thinking. She sighed in thought. No, she pratically knew nothing of her team. Naruto, for some reason, didn't fit his dead last, and stupid character. For some reason, he was more sincere, understanding, and a lo mature. Sakura brushed a hand through her pigtailed hair, and thought about her "crush".

Now that she thought about it, Sasuke was arrogant, and never complemented her on how beautiful her hair looked, or her in general. Or maybe it was her hair color. Was pink too unusual and weird for his tastes? Or maybe it was her forehead. Was it too big for his taste?

No wait, he had said that he had loved her forehead and wanted to kiss it. Which made absolutely no sense that when she had tried to kiss him, he had called her annoying and walked away without reading the atmosphere.

_**Ughh. Really? I was already having a tough morning, and now you're just making it worse.**_

Sakura was forced to change into a whole entire new outfit, because her mother had warned her about not being able to move freely. Her hair was pulled back into two pig tails, a red shirt, with a black ribbon, black vest, red skirt with black shorts that stopped at her thighs under her skirt, fishnet stockings that reached up to her knees, black combat boots, and her pocket pouch, fill with her sharpened kunai, and shuriken that her mother had given her beforehand.

She held a black bag in her hand, full of fruits, and had brought it for her team, but was still not used to the whole communication thing.

Even around Naruto, she was still flustered.

"Sakura-chan, what's in the bag?" Naruto had said, pointing at her suspiciously looking black bag. Sakura sweat dropped, and stuck a hand into the bag, searching for a fruit that Naruto might like.

"I-It's-This is-" She pulled out an orange, and handed it to Naruto, "It's fruit to help replemish our energy. We'll need a lot of it for today's training with Kakashi-Sensei." Naruto gladly accepted the orange, staring to peel it.

Sasuke snorted, hiding the hunger in his eyes, and looked away. "Weren't you listen to Kakashi-sensei yesterday? He said eating Breakfast won't help during the test because we'll puke it all up. And I thought you were the smart one." Sasuke snorted again, leaning against the tree, wanting more of its shade.

_Duh__. I'm not stupid._

_**He's retarded for not even realizing it.**_

Sakura felt offended and handed the bag to Sasuke. "I-If you don't eat anything, how do you expect to fight? You'll have no energy and be of no use to the whole team. What are the chances of puking?" Sakura retorted, handing him some grapes. Sasuke gave her a "Hmph" and accepted the grapes with a scowl.

Sasuke dropped his scowl and gave her a frown instead, studying her. _Why the hell is she being useful and not annoying?_

Sakura felt intimidated with how he was staring at her, and felt a small blush reaching her chubby cheeks. _Fuck. Sasuke-Kun stop staring at me._

**_Aw_**_**, you shouldn't have gave it to him. It so much more fun watching him starve.**_

"Which is what my Oka-san says to me all the time." Sakura snorted to herself, sitting down under a tree, away from her team.

Estuko watched from the trees, in her Anbu uniform, and a flash of pride glinted through her eyes and she couldn't help but cheer at her own daughter already understanding the main point of the test.

_That's my Sakura-chan._

Sakura bit her apple and quickly chewed, wanting to get enough energy before Kakashi could spot them violating the rules. She examined the area that their training would take place in, and she realized that it was mostly grass and bushes, and a few dummies implanted in the ground before them.

Just what was taking Kakashi-sensei so long?

Sakura could feel an intense stare at the back of her head, and frowned at this. It was like someone was watching her...

_**Pedophile alert.**_

_Um, I see red hair. It's probably mom spying on me again._

What was she doing here so early in the morning? Why was she spying on her team?

_**What's mom doing here? She's being creepy staring at us like that.**_

_Stalking me._

She reached into her pouch, and leaned to her left, apple in her mouth being held by her teeth, and she threw the kunai at the tree, aiming for the branch, and hopefully it wouldn't graze her mother's skin.

She heard her kunai hit wood, and she sighed in relief, leaping backwards away from the tree.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto started but trailed off, in confusion. Sasuke gave her a look that told her that they knew nothing about what was going on. Sakura sweat dropped and smiled sheepishly.

_I must look like I'm crazy._

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sakura shouted out to the woman in the trees. Oh, how she wanted to run off and climb into a hole if her teammates found out that her mom was an Anbu captain and always stalking her.

Estuko had already appeared in front of them, arms folded, and no expression could be read, because of her mask.

_By Sakura's reaction to this woman, and what she had said yesterday about disliking people who wore masks, meant that this was Sakura's mortal enemy._ Is what Naruto had been just thinking.

"Sakura-chan, why do you have to be so mean to me?" The fox masked woman asked, sounding disappointed. Sakura face palmed, sitting on a log. _Dammit! I wasn't even finished with looking up her teammates! Shit! _ Etsuko pouted, upset that her daughter couldn't even see her pouting mouth under her mask.

_An Anbu? Surprisingly, she knows Sakura too. I wonder what she's doing here...But that should be impossible that Sakura knows an Anbu. _Sasuke seethed with envy, storming over to the rest of his team.

"Sakura? Do you know this person?" Naruto asked, pointing at Estuko. By the look on Sasuke's face, you could tell that he was thinking the same thing. Estuko's hair was in a messy bun with loose red strands.

Sakura groaned, and rubbed her temple. "Unfortunately, yes." She looked up at her mother. "Just what are you doing here?" She asked solemnly.

_I am so gonna enjoy the looks on their faces_

Her mother chuckled, and smirked behind her mask. "Is that they way you should be talking to your Sensei, Sakura-chan?" She asked, playfully.

The three looked dumbfounded.

"NANI?" They all yelled in shock.

Estuko sighed. "Yes, you heard me well, I am your Sensei. But don't worry, Kakashi is too, you will have two Sensei on this team."

Sakura gave her a look.

_**What the hell is she pulling here?**_

_Is she trying to keep an eye on me?_

"I guess that you could say that this team has so much potential that one teacher wasn't enough." Estuko explained sheepishly.

Sakura stared at her mother coldly.

_Bullshit. What's the real reason?_

The three now stared dumbfounded at the Anbu, who was now sitting cross legged on one of the posts.

"But, as you three have already experienced, no one knows when Kakashi might show up. You know how side tracked he gets." Estuko shook her head as she thought about the silver haired pervert and his orange book, "Icha Icha Paradise," the holy book of perverts.

"So, I'll take it from here, until he arrives. I don't want you guys to wait long." She stood up and stretched her arms, before reaching into her weapon pouch.

"All you have to do is grab these two bells from me." She said, two bells hanging from her fingers. Sakura looked confused. "Why are there only two bells? We're a three man squad. Shouldn't we be forced to work together and not apart?" Sakura questioned, looking curious.

Estuko smirked. "Simple, one of you will be going back to the academy." She explained simply. The three all sweated bullets.

_**Give up now, Sakura. And forever hold your peace.**_

_Now's not the time to get all shitty with me._

"That was a great tactic that you used just then, Sakura-chan. I could pass the three of you right now, but" Estuko appeared behind Sasuke in a crouch.

"It just wouldn't be fun if I didn't play around with you a bit." A chill ran down all three of the genin's spine, as they froze in place.

Not even bothering to give the start signal, Estuko grabbed Sasuke by the back of his collar, and yanked him to her right, attempting to throw him into Naruto. Sasuke, already thinking fast, had another idea in mind. He twisted his body in the air, and had quickly went through some hand signs, before throwing his head back, and inhaling. _Easy, I'll beat her with this and I'll be the true successor of this team, like the Dead last or the Dead weight can ever compare to me._

Sakura took a couple of leaps back, and tried to take cover. After all, there was nothing for her to do right now. She was weak, and for now she could only observe Estuko's battle with Sasuke and make mental notes.

"Lesson One: Ninjutsu, what kind of skill do you have?"

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!" He shouted, exhaling an impressive sized fireball. Estuko smirked behind her mask, and simply side stepped the Jutsu, shocking Naruto and Sasuke, since Sasuke never missed his target. Sakura gulped, as expected of her mother, that sly fox.

_Is she even serious about this?_

Estuko decided to play around with his ego. "I am quite surprised that you even know a bit of elemental Ninjutsu, but, Is that all you can do? Is the famous Uchiha not as strong and invincible as the council say he is. I hope that you do know that none of that half ass crap will get you through missions such as B-rank. Get serious Gaki, I would've killed you just by looking at you. Give me as much killing intent that you can, and come at me with the intent to kill." She felt Sasuke's chakra spike, and she eyes him cautiously.

_He's capable of being as Genius as Itachi was at this age. What's holding him back is his...ego. And the fact that he acts like he's Emo. Itachi, look at what you turned your sweet little brother into._

Sakura's eyes narrowed. So that's what her mother was doing. She was trying to get them all hyped out, so they could blindly attack her. With them attacking her without thinking, it would be easier for her to take them all down. _I just hope that Sasuke isn't falling for that crap._

Naruto decided to attack Estuko boldly, and summoned a couple of Shadow Clones to aid with his attack.

Sakura face palmed, forgetting about a certain hyperactive ninja.

_**Shit. Totally forgot about Naruto. Who seems to always find a way to destroy our plans.**_

"Take this!" They yelled in unison, throwing a punch at the unsuspecting Estuko. Estuko smirked, dispersing his shadow clones with a flick of her wrist and flicked Naruto on the forehead. Sakura was in awe wondering how her mother knew which was the real deal, but quickly gasped when Naruto was thrown right past her. She turned slowly and glanced at his battered body, which had created a minimal crater in a boulder.

Sasuke was also thrown back into the ground, harshly. Sakura cringed, and was prepared to aid him.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed, wishing for more than anything to reach out and save him. Sasuke growled, and glared at both Naruto and Sakura. "Stay out of this! This is my fight! If you interfere, I'll kill you both!"

Sakura froze up and could feel her heart breaking. She wasn't imagining anything at all this time. He did again. With those threatening words, he destroyed her.

Estuko narrowed her eyes, a dark aura escaping from her being. _You know what. The more he speaks of his teammates as trash, the more I want to get Orochimaru to rape him._

Sakura's eyes widened in shock, and her eyes bored into her mother's grey eyes, which were ice cold.

She heard someone getting up and focused her attention on Naruto, who was holding his injured arm, and limping over to her. "Shut the hell up, Sasuke! She is an Anbu, and you can't beat her by yourself! Pride is one thing, and ego is another, Teme!" Naruto shouted, limping over to Sakura.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, worried.

_What the hell was he rambling about? He should be resting in a safe spot_.

"You Baka, you're hurt!" Sakura yelled with anger in her eyes.

"_**He's a Shinobi, isn't he? A sacrifice for this village.**_" Her mother's mask had a ghostly shadow, and Sakura could feel a chill run up her spine. When had her mother been this cold before?

* * *

Sakura was frozen on the spot, body shaking in fear. She couldn't move, she had glanced at the side and noticed that Naruto was in the same position.

_Kuso, why the hell can't my body move? _She was sweating bullets, and she forced her fingers to wiggle. Her fingers moved slightly, and Sakura gritted her teeth.

"Lesson Two: A Shinobi must see through deception. A Shinobi must be able to see through a Genjutsu " Estuko started, casting a simple Genjutsu on the team.

Sakura bit her bottom lip in frustration. When did she cast a _G__enjutsu?! _How could she have been so blind as to not notice a Genjutsu?

She looked back at Naruto, who was panicking, and at Sasuke who was now being held up by his collar, by her own mother, who held a kunai close to his face.

_It's not real. It's not real. It's just an illusion._

Sakura's eyes were closed tightly, as she felt her fists clench. "No. We, Shinobi might make sacrifices for our village, but that's not all, is it? We're not tools or killing machines that are used by power hungry people. We have our own feelings as well. Braking the rules might be unacceptable, but those who abandon their teammates- no, their friends, truly hold no honor, and shouldn't even be considered Shinobi!" Sakura shouted, clearly upset.

Estuko dropped Sasuke onto the floor, and cocked her head to the side. Her gray eyes were ruthless and bitter. Sakura threw a hardened glare at her.

"Friends, huh. Then, if you want to save your friends so much, why do _you _die in their place?!" Estuko channeled Chakra to the soles of her sandals and dashed towards Sakura with sharp grey eyes and a wicked smile.

_Shit! I'm gonna die!_

_**For the love of Kami, cancel the fucking Genjutsu already!**_

_I can't! She's moving too fast!_

_**It's either you pass this test, or you drop dead. You're free to choose.**_

_I can't channel any Chakra!_

She kept trying and trying, but her Chakra Coils weren't that developed, so her Chakra wasn't even worth looking at. She started to panic.

Her inner gave a frustrated groan, using two fingers to massage her temple.

_**Fuck! I didn't want to have to do this. Man, you are helpless. Fine, I'll help you.**_

Sakura crossed her arms over her face, to block the incoming impact. It was as if everything was now moving at a slower pace. Her mother had still not even reached her by a half.

_W-Wait! What are you planning?_

_**I'm lending you some of my Chakra. Be careful with how you use it. Using too much will expose my presence Be grateful that I did this.**_

Sakura, blinded by fear, forced the unknown Chakra into her system. Her face was turning red, and she could feel her body exploding with chakra. _Come on, WORK! _Her hands were suddenly limp at her sides, and Sakura sighed in relief. She clamped her hands together, in a hand seal before shouting out.

_I hope this works-!_

"KAI!" She yelled, releasing the Genjutsu that had been placed on her, the Genjutsu lifted and she could feel her body slouch over in exhaustion, and saw Naruto out of his gaze. Estuko saw this, and couldn't help but smile at this.

_My accusations were wrong. Sakura is definitely improving._

Sakura was breathing heavily at the amount of chakra needed to cancel that Genjutsu. _T-That! That Chakra, it felt like I was burning inside! I never knew that Chakra could be so painful. How did you transfer Chakra to me? How do _you _have Chakra?_

_**Look! We can't waste time discussing this, your Mom looks mad.**_

Her mother dropped a shocked Sasuke onto the ground. Sakura got into a battle stance, ready to pull out a kunai to defend herself.

Estuko walked slowly to her daughter, and gave her a sneer. "Broke out of my Genjutsu already, ne, Sakura-chan? Didn't it feel like some paralysis Jutsu or something? Didn't it feel scary, to watch your precious, Sasuke-kun about to get his neck slit with my kunai, or is it just because you couldn't move or feel your body? Oh, why are you slouching like that? Took too much Chakra? Mou, I don't want you to fall victim to Chakra Exhaustion just yet. I want to know how much better you can entertain me, better than the Uchiha of course." Sakura gulped and glanced at Sasuke.

He was glaring at her with hatred that could burn her. But, for some reason, his look made her inner look smug.

_**Hear that, Cock?! At least I'm not on the ground, thrown away like a old used doll. I'm not useless and trash like you.**_

"Sakura," Estuko called. Sakura turned her head, and saw her mother near Naruto. "If you kill Naruto, I won't kill Sasuke. But, if you don't obey me, I'll kill them both." She said darkly. Sakura smirked.

"How can you? You're not that fast, and I doubt that you could be at two places at once." Sakura countered, arrogantly, placing a hand on her hip. Estuko looked dead serious.

"Do you think that it's not possible? Naruto's not the only one who knows how to create clones." As Estuko talked, bubbles started erupting from the lake. Sakura stared in horror as five water clones that looked exactly like her mother, stepped out of the lake, drenched with water. They all held weapons in their hands, and Sakura felt like throwing up.

_Why is she always one step ahead of me?! I can't do this, I mean five clones?! I can't even hit one!_

_**Well, it looks like the only way to get rid of them is to attack them head on.**_

_You're kidding, right?_

The clones started to dash towards her, and Sakura tried her best to dodge all the kicks and punches.

"Wait!" Duck. "You didn't-" Dodge. "Even give me-" Sidestep. "Time to choose!" Sakura sidestepped a kick, but failed to see a incoming punch that was directed to her abdomen. She felt the wind knocked out of her and, chocked on her spit.

_**Shit. I forgot that your physical ability sucks.**_

_Wow, thanks. _

Estuko laughed at Sakura's predicament She snapped her fingers. "How about some more?" Ten more Water Clones appeared from the lake, and Sakura groaned in disbelief.

"No way! That's cheating!" Sakura yelled angrily, pulling out her kunai. Naruto stared on in shock, but still held his stance, waiting to strike.

_I've got to do something. Leaving Sakura-Chan alone like that isn't me. I need to find a way to help her._

An idea popped into his head and a grin lit his face. _Of course!_

Estuko shrugged, and grabbed Sasuke's collar, throwing him into the air, before chanting out. "Bakusai Hyōsho" Ice suddenly formed at the Anbu captain's feet and shot out from the sleeves of her shirt, grabbing Sasuke and mid air, and freezing ice particles around his whole body.

"Ice!" Sakura seethed, reaching into her weapon pouch.

_I didn't even know that Mom could do Ice type Jutsu!_

_**And it just keeps getting better and better.**_

Sakura was now boiling in anger, as she gripped onto the Kunai in her hand. Why wasn't she attacking, was it because it was her mother? She didn't want to hurt her mother...Then again, her mother was an Anbu Captain. There was no way that she could damage her or deliver a more dangerous, life risking injury. She groaned, and her vision blurred a bit, when she saw the upcoming fist of one of her Mother's clones.

It was _over._

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Sakura heard Naruto yell as a fifty clones of Naruto rushed towards Estuko. Sakura yelped, and opened her eyes, in surprise to see Naruto standing in front of her, the clone's fist making impact with his forehead. Sakura started to feel her fingers and consciousness come back. Was that Naruto who stood before her? Was he trying to protect her.

Blood dripped down from his forehead, and his forehead protector loosened a bit, causing his blonde bangs to fall onto his face. Sakura let out a small sigh of relief. "N-N-Naru-ru-ruto!" She stuttered incoherently. Naruto gave a sheepish grin, to Sakura before turning serious again. Estuko was surprised at the least, and was itching to see her new team's next actions.

Naruto's blue eyes were like ice as he stared into the clones eyes. The clone watched him in confusion, as she retracted her fist. "You...moved?" She said, as if asking herself. Naruto smirked, and the clone looked at him as if he was pulling her leg. "What's so funny?" She demanded, taking a few steps back. Sakura was also lost, until some small figures behind Estuko and Sasuke caught her eye.

_Those are...CLONES!_

_**Tch, showoff.**_

"We are going to pass this test!" Naruto yelled, grabbing the clone by the wrist, and throwing the clone away a few feet. Sakura's eyes lit up, and she now saw Naruto in a new light. Never in a million could she imagine Naruto instead of Sasuke saving her and coming up with a near genius plan.

Estuko smiled, but didn't release Sasuke.

The clones all tackled Estuko, and Sakura was suddenly awakened by Naruto's outburst. "Sakura-chan! Now's your chance!" Naruto cried out as his shadow clones started dispersing.

_Me?!_

Sakura's inner crossed her arms across her chest, and smirked.

_**Might as well. Naruto, that idiot even came up with this genius plan to give you an opening. I'd say to hell with it! You can't let his smartness go to waste.**_

Sakura smiled, wiping her eyes with her bare arm. "Thank you, Naruto. That was genius." She said. When she looked up, Naruto was giving her the biggest grin she had ever seen plastered on his face.

"You just go ahead. I'll catch up to you after I dispel these clones." Naruto said, crossing his fingers. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Sakura turned away from her hyperactive teammate, with a small smile on her face.

_**A dumb smile.**_

_Ugh__, now's not the time!_

Sakura crouched, using the Chakra that her inner had given her as a boost, and she sprinted to aid her teammate.

_I'll have to save Sasuke-Kun first!_

Estuko saw this, and used the ice, to freeze all of Naruto's clones and froze them to death.

Sakura crouched, and and went for an uppercut, but Estuko grabbed her hand, and delivered a punch to her gut, throwing her into the air. Using her flexibility as an advantage, she twisted her body, just how Sasuke had and threw three shuriken at her.

_Ha! I'd like to see her dodge those!_

_**Don't get so cocky.**_

Estuko caught them with three fingers before hurling them back at Sakura, with explosive notes on them.

_Shit! Oh no! I'm gonna die~!_

_**Counter, dumbass!**_

Sakura reached for a kunai, and successfully, knocked over one shuriken, throwing it into Sasuke's direction. It exploded, causing the ice around Sasuke to shatter and fly in different directions. Unfortunately, some shards had found their way into Sakura's left shoulder. Sakura safely landed across from Estuko, holding her bleeding shoulder.

_Fuck! I didn't expect my plan to backfire like that!_

_**What plan?! This is what you get for improvising.**_

Sasuke escaped the ice prison and flipped into the air, landing gracefully next to Naruto.

"Sa-ku-ra-CHAN!" Estuko flicked her wrist, effortlessly throwing a couple of shuriken to her direction. Sakura groaned, and realized that they had explosive tags attached too them.

_**Fuck! Sakura, move your ass and get out of there now!**_

Sakura held her arms out in front of her to protect her from the blow, but she felt some arms around her. She opened her eyes, and saw four Naruto's smiling down at her. The shuriken dug into their jackets and exploded, throwing her into a bush.

Naruto had saved her, by shielding her from the explosive by using the shadow clones as a shield. _The dumbass does it again._ Sakura spit out grass and dirt that had entered her mouth. Her hair was full of twigs and branches, she had small cuts all over her arms, face, and legs, and her outfit that was new was now dirtied. She narrowed her green eyes at her teammates. They all left her injured in a bush. In a _fucking _dirty bush full with insects.

_Now, they are all dead to me..._

Naruto and Sasuke had appeared in front of her mother, throwing kicks and punches sporadically, using their energy and frustration to land a hit.

"Lesson Three: Taijutsu, let's see how you can handle hand to hand combat."

Estuko dodged their assaults with ease. Naruto however was fairing quite well more than Sasuke. His punches were heavier and much quicker, she could tell. "Hey, Gaki you're pretty strong. How would you like it if you and Sakura were placed on a two man team? Sasuke could just go back to the academy. It would be great, if it was just you and your crush." Naruto blushed, and she took this an opportunity and swept Naruto's legs from under him.

_H-HOW DOES SHE KNOW?_

Sasuke was in awe, and he took a few steps back, reaching for a kunai.

Naruto fell but quickly rolled into a crouch, swiping at Estuko's thighs with his kunai, and Sasuke aimed a punch to her skull. But, he missed. "Are you an idiot or what? I think this team could work out, and as much as I hate to admit it, there's no way that we would just leave Sasuke behind! Dattebayo!" Naruto shouted, aiming a punch to her head, and Estuko jumped back.

"Eh, for real? And I thought that, that was a great deal too. Oh well." She sighed, faking her disappointment. Naruto and Sakura could have formed not only a great team but she could also put her daughter and Naruto together. She mentally squealed.

Sakura rushed towards her to join the fight. Using one hand to press down on Naruto's head for support, she axle kicked Etsuko in the cheek. Etsuko felt her cheek bleed. Naruto and Sasuke jumped back and out of the way.

"Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled out with excitement. Sasuke was in awe, but quickly recovered and gave a "Hmph!".

Estuko was caught off guard, but she quickly grabbed Sakura's ankle, twisting it. Sakura cried out in pain. But, she was prepared for that. She twisted her body around, trying to kick her away with her other foot. Estuko yawned and caught the other foot.

"Sakura-chan, I'm getting bored." Estuko said disappointingly. Flashing through hand seals, Sakura grinned. Etsuko smirked. "What kind of Jutsu is that? You don't know any Jutsu that could bring harm to me anyway." She pointed out. Sakura grinned even wider.

"Fire style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" Sakura hurled herself to the side as a decent sized fireball was hurled towards them. Etsuko crouched, and narrowed her eyes as she realized that it was Sasuke who had caused it. She cocked her head to the side to see Naruto's face which was showing a mock expression. Estuko cursed under her breath, and tried to shield herself. Suddenly, a tall figure stepped in front of Estuko, holding his palm out, stopping the fireball.

Sakura inhaled sharply, before standing guard once more. The attack was thrown back at the three. Sakura squeaked and rolled onto her side, evading the dangerous attack.

"Good timing, ne, Estuko-chan? I thought that you said that you could handle these twerps. Were they that strong?" Kakashi asked, his headband over his right eye. Estuko rolled her eyes muttering under her breath. "Why are you so late, Kakashi? Man, I shouldn't even be surprised..."

"Gomen, gomen." Kakashi turned his attention back to the Genin glaring at him. He gave them all an apologetic look. "Sorry I'm late you guys, I saw a black cat and had to take another path, and I had to help an old lady cross the street." He said sheepishly.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Sakura simply threw several kunai with explosive tags.

Unfortunately for the three, they canceled out each other's attacks, which backfired on them. Naruto's clones tackled Sakura, Sakura's bombs blew up in Sasuke's face, and Sasuke's fireball consumed Naruto in flames.

"AHHHH! GET THEM OFF ME!" Naruto screamed, rolling around the now burnt grass. Sasuke had landed safely on a branch in a tree. Sakura sighed, struggling to get out from beneath the pile of Narutos. _Damn! What does this kid eat?!_

Sakura groaned in pain. "Naruto! Get your clones off of me before I shove that huge tree up your-"

Poof!

Oxygen entered Sakura's lungs, and she breathed in relief, her hand pressing against her chest. "Thanks."

_Snicker._

The trio turned to the laughing adults who were holding there stomachs and laughing with uncontrollable laughter. Kakashi never looked so alive, and Etsuko...looked as manically as ever.

"Did you _see _their faces?!" Kakashi started laughing even harder. Estuko giggled. "Right! It was hilarious how it backfired on them too!" Etsuko wiped away the tears in her eyes, if it was possible with her mask on, with her index finger.

"Did you catch it all on video, Kakashi-Kun?" Etsuko asked, slapping Kakashi's shoulder, Kakashi pulled out camera which he had used to record the whole event.

"Of course. My title, "The Copy Ninja," is not just for show."

After he had said that, all three Genin had dark looks on their faces. Oh, this was not the end. Etsuko realized their dark expressions. "Oh snap! They look mad!" Kakashi put away his camera, and got into a battle stance.

Estuko dropped into a crouch. "Doton-" She was interrupted when she felt someone grab her back. She gasped, and tried to shake them off. She looked to her right to see Kakashi struggling with the same problem.

"You can try to shake us off all you want but we won't budge!" Naruto's shadow clones said gleefully. "Give us the camera!" Another yelled. Estuko growled, grabbing the back of his shirt and throwing him off her back, and into Sasuke.

"Too late!" She turned around to see multiple shuriken heading towards her, and she side stepped to the right sighing to herself. _Using the same tactic, tsk tsk, so disappointing._

"Don't underestimate our teamwork! Now give us that camera!" Sakura yelled, as the shuriken immediately made a turn, and came back towards her.

Estuko jumped back, and narrowed her eyes. "Wire, smart move." She said to herself "Fire style: Fireball Jutsu !" She heard Sasuke's outburst, and realized that Sasuke hadn't only wired the shuriken, but wired the tree branches and had attached some explosive tags. Sasuke held onto the other end of the wire, sitting on the branch of the tree across from her, smirking. She forgot that Sasuke was blown into a tree.

"Shit." Was the only thing that she could say before the whole tree had exploded into tiny bits. Sakura and Naruto had to cover their eyes with their arms, and hoped that their third teammate wasn't caught in the explosion.

Sasuke appeared at their side, arms folded, and mouth in a scowl. "Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, worried, her eyebrows creased. Naruto was busy cheering. "WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE DID IT~!"

"We didn't get them, they replaced themselves with mud clones at the last minute." Sasuke explained stiffly, and Sakura's eyes widened. Her mom was full off tricks wasn't she?

"Correct, Sasuke-chan." Estuko smiled widely, ascending from the ground with Kakashi at her side.

Sakura groaned, falling to her knees, supporting herself with the palms of her hands, breathing heavily. "That means, we _didn't _pass?!" She whined, all the exhaustion coming back to her. Sasuke and Naruto looked disappointed.

Etsuko sighed in disappointment. Sakura had still not gotten the full meaning of this test. "You guys were trying to beat us. You guys were actually supposed to go after the bells." She shook the two dangling bells in front of the three Genin.

Naruto made an,"Oh," sound. Sasuke wanted to stab a kunai through everyone's skull, and Sakura face palmed.

_I can't believe that I forgot about the bells!_

_**I didn't.**_

_Why didn't you remind me?_

_**Because...I, uh, I forgot.**_

Estuko smiled, removing her mask, with a gloved hand.

Sasuke and Naruto's eyes widened and they blushed deeply. _He's a SHE?!_

Estuko's red hair stopped to her shoulder's and her grey eyes shone with praise, as she took in her daughter's appearance. "You know what Sakura-chan? You never cease to amaze me. At where you're at right right now, you might as well be succeeding your father when he was a child." She praised.

Sakura closed her eyes tightly and looked away, pushing herself up to her knees. "Don't compare me to that man. Besides, I bet he passed his Survival training."

Estuko frowned. "Your father did pass his test, Sakura-chan. You did too." Estuko corrected sternly. Sakura gritted her teeth, and jabbed a finger to her mother's chest.

_**Oh no she didn't.**_

"That man is not my father! He is completely selfish, power hungry, and has been plotting some crazy and messed up things! And I just know that both Akihiro and Akihito will be used as war tools. I just know it! Their childhood and mines as well have been robbed from us! I can't believe that we're having this conversation, Oka-San." Sakura muttered the last part bitterly.

The comical expressions on Naruto and Sasuke's faces were priceless. _OKA-SAN?_

Kakashi sweat dropped at their tiny argument, and clamped his hands together. "Alright, alright. Estuko, we've got to report this camera back to the hokage." Kakashi said, slipping his hand into his pouch, and pulling out an all too familiar orange book.

Estuko groaned, and face palmed. She retreated to Kakashi side, which pissed Sakura off.

"Oi, oi, oi! Don't walk away when I'm trying to talk to you! OKA-SAN!" Sakura screeched Estuko rolled her eyes at her daughter, and Kakashi pulled out an orange book from his weapon pouch. Unsurprisingly, it caught Estuko's right eye.

She bonked him over the head. "Damn it, Kakashi! How many times do I have to tell you not to pull out that dirty perverted book in front of then kids? Should I just tie you to a chair, and make you watch it burn slowly? Is that what you want?" Estuko yelled, taking out her anger on Kakashi.

"O-Of course not, Estuko-chan!" Kakashi said quickly, putting his beloved book in a safe place where Estuko hadn't dared go invade.

Naruto sighed. "If I was just seeing them for the first time, I would've thought that they look very much like an old married couple." Naruto finished blankly, having Sasuke nod with his statement.

Sakura tapped her foot impatiently, wanting for her mother to leave already. A vein was popping out of her forehead, growing bigger with every passing second.

"Naruto! Stop standing there and entertain me, you Baka! Sasuke, get me an Orange-why are you both standing there? DO IT NOW!" Sakura roared, face red, both Naruto and Sasuke scared out of their wits, obeyed her orders.

Estuko smirked. "What's been biting your behind, Sakura?" Her mom chuckled. Sakura scowled. "You have a meeting with the Hokage, right? Then get a move on already!" Sakura said clearly annoyed.

Estuko stuck her tongue out at her, and made mocking motions at her. "Hmph! Sakura-chan's the worst!" She grabbed Kakashi's arm. "We'll see you three at Training Grounds 7, at 6:00 sharp. Come on, Kakashi!" They were both gone in a "poof" of smoke.

Sakura stood there with a scowl, and face pale. "I'm the worst...Sakura's the worst...Sakura-chan's the worst..." Sakura said slowly to herself processing the information "Wait. Did she just say that we passed?" Sakura asked herself shocked.

"Look, Sasuke brought you an Orange, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled quickly, pointing at Sasuke, who was holding the black bag. Sakura was annoyed with how Naruto had rudely interrupted her train of thought.

He pulled out an orange and handed it to Sakura. Sakura blinked and then flushed in anger. "Are your ears clogged? I SAID APPLES!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, hitting both boys on the head.

"BUT SAKURA-CHAN-!"

"Sakura-chan MY ASS! APPLE NOW! HMPH, GOT SOMETHING TO SAY, SASUKE?"

"Hn, no."

* * *

**G.S. NOEL: IF ANYONE READ THE SCENE, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT, R&R!**


	3. Issues

**G.S. NOEL: AND I'M BACK! AFTER SO LONG! I FEEL SO HAPPY TO HAVE UPDATED THIS STORY!**

**SAKURA: I FEEL LIKE YOU MADE ME A TOTAL BITCH IN THIS CHAPTER...**

**G.S. NOEL: THAT'S NOT TRUE SAKURA. YOU'LL START TO CHANGE.**

**SAKURA:...WHATEVER.**

**G.S. NOEL: NOW I WILL GIVE THANKS TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE REVIEWED MY STORY SO FAR!**

* * *

**_Poobear07- THANKS FOR BEING SUPPORTIVE AND UPDATING MY STORY! _  
**

**_Lonely Athena- THANKS FOR GIVING YOUR OPINION! NOW I KNOW THAT I DID A DECENT JOB WITH THE FIRST TWO CHAPS!_**

**_Minato Namikaze Uzumaki- HERE IS YOUR CHAPTER, AS PROMISED, MINATO-SAMA~!_**

* * *

__**G.S. NOEL: ENJOY!**

* * *

_"Hokage-sama, I just don't understand why Sakura's abilities cannot be awakened this instant She will soon learn how to burden the lives of those who have fallen to Kusanagi, and will also know how to wield the elements and the power itself." _

_Sarutobi sat at his desk, smoking, and looking into his glass ball, glancing at Estuko a couple of times. Etsuko stood uncomfortably in front of him. She bit her lip as she waited for his response._

_"But, wouldn't that be robbing her of her childhood?" Sarutobi asked simply. Estuko's eyes widened, and they suddenly darkened with sadness._

_"Funny, Sakura said the same thing to me." She scoffed, looking at her hands. "Hokage-sama, it feels to me as if, Gurou isn't the one stealing away their future, but it is me instead. It's just that, our village needs all the power it can get. Actually, all the protection that we can provide. We are born to help protect this village at all costs." Estuko said confidently. "A Shinobi that ignores that is Scum." She whispered to herself. _

_Sarutobi smiled, touching the ball. "Ah, but whoever abandon's their friends are even worst than scum." He said, calmly. "Hasn't being teammates with Kakashi taught you that?" _

_Estuko shook her head. "That's an entirely different thing-I-"_

_"Look! I don't care about some Kekkai Genkai that Sakura had inherited from you. Or even the other two that she inherited from both her fathers. Which, I hope that you are keeping quiet about. There are people out there, like Orochimaru who might try to obtain that-" He winced. "That awful curse." Etsuko cleared her throat, snapping Sarutobi out of his trance._

_"Let's leave that for a different discussion. I don't feel all that comfortable talking about that, err, Hokage-Sama." Etsuko said stiffly._

_Sarutobi nodded, and folded his hands. "What matters right now is that Inner Sakura doesn't take control of Sakura when she isn't aware. It was bad enough that we had to erase all her memories of what happened four years ago." Sarutobi said, clutching the top of his glass ball tightly as if he was going to shatter it._

_Estuko's pupils shrunk and she had a guilty look on her face. "I'm sorry, Hokage-Sama." Sarutobi shrugged, sighing. He jabbed a finger at her shoulder blade sharply, staring into her grey eyes. "Inner Sakura can resurface any second now. Whether it's tonight, tomorrow, during the Chunin Exams, or even in years. Hell, she might even have already awakened, and we might haven't even noticed the small changes in Sakura-" Etsuko brought a hand up to stop him from talking._

_"But..." she gulped. "We know for a fact that she isn't awake, right?" She asked, in worry. Sarutobi sighed, rubbing his temples._

_"It's been four years, wouldn't you think that she will go after the lives of her own family, Estuko? I know that Gurou has certainly not forgotten. That's why he's ready to kill her for the next heirs to stay alive." Sarutobi stopped rubbing his temples, and looked into Etsuko's gray orbs. "Shouldn't you be prepared to stop all this insanity?"_

_Estuko started being stubborn. "I'll train her." She said, looking stumped. Sarutobi shook his head in disagreement. "No. You are prohibited from doing so." _

_"But, why?" She whined._

_"Etsuko."_

_Estuko scowled heavily, before putting her mask back on. "Yes, Hokage-Sama."_

_Sarutobi waved her away dismissively. "Do whatever you want, just remember that you and Gurou are playing with these childrens' lives." He said. _

_Estuko nodded and glanced up to look at Sarutobi, awaiting for any last words before she was dismissed. _

_"You are one of my children, Estuko, I am so proud of you, and the same goes for your legacy, your children. But, I'm growing old, and you are growing up. Make your own decisions for yourself, won't you?" Sarutobi said, tiredly._

_Estuko didn't say anything as she turned around and closed the door softly._

* * *

"Can you believe the nerve of him?!" Estuko whined, punching Kakashi in his shoulder. Kakashi winced holding his shoulder painfully before smiling painfully at his teammate. They were in the middle of a D-Rank Mission. To catch a cat that kept running away. For the 20th time this week. For almost a month.

"No, not really. So, how's Gurou taking it?" He asked. Etsuko weaved her fingers in her hair, and groaned in response.

"Terribly. He broke the Flat screen in the Living Room, and then he broke the sink. After that, he just stormed up to his study."

Kakashi shook his head. "Drama queen as always huh?" Etsuko laughed at the small joke. "I guess you can say that he hasn't changed, he still walks around muttering how stupid you were when we were kids." Etsuko added, putting on the microphone headgear.

Kakashi sighed. "Man, can he keep a grudge."

* * *

Sakura sat at the swings, bored, as she stared up at the blazing orange sun. It was so bright and blinding that it kind of reminded her of Naruto.

Naruto. Naruto. Naruto.

She had held back her questions that she had for him, yesterday. Why was he so quick to form a plan? Why did he save her twice? Why was he so much nicer than Sasuke?

But what was the deal with Naruto?

"Pink, I repeat. _Pink _are you _there?_" Sakura jumped in suprise. She had totally forgotten that she was on a mission for a missing pissed off cat.

She cupped her right ear for dear life, and was on high alert. "Hai, Scarecrow, Pink here-"

A flash of white and red, ran past her. Sakura took a double take, and her eyes were as big as saucers. As quickly as the first, another blur of Orange and blue flew past her. Sakura growled in annoyance.

_What was that!_

_**A cat! And Naruto...**_

"Pink! Pink! You there!" She heard. Snapping out of her trance, Sakura picked up the ear piece, and gulped.

"Pink here. I just lost sight of the target." Sakura responded calmly.

"THEN GET UP AND GO AFTER IT, YOU DEAD WEIGHT!" She cringged. She really didn't see that coming, Sasuke nonetheless.

_**WHAT THE FUCK! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!**_

She stopped herself from shouting back at him. Had he had no idea that his mic was turned all the way up?

"Yea, yeah, I'm on it, Blue, but please do get in touch with Orange. He has caught up with the cat." Sakura suggested, crouching into a stance.

She heard a snort, and rolled her eyes. "Here I go-!" And soon she leaped onto the rooftops, completely forgetting about her worried thoughts.

* * *

Sakura petted the cat softly in her arms, swooning as it purred. Naruto glared at the(not really) harmless cat, having burdened many cuts and bruises. Sasuke stood there with his arms folded, staring off out the window.

Kakashi and Estuko stood there, respectfully, in their Jounin uniform, in front of Sarutobi.

Sarutobi rested his head in his arms, staring at the team. Iruka sat straight in his chair. Naruto grumbled under his breath, put his arms up behind his head. "Man, these missions are getting so boring. When are we gonna get an C Rank Mission, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto whined, making a very scary face at the cat. Sakura growled, and bonked Naruto on the head, causing a bump to form.

"Shut up, Naruto!" She shouted very annoyed. The cat squirmed in her arms, and tried to claw at Naruto's face.

Naruto took a step back. "Oi, not the Neko-teme too!" He whined.

"Kakashi, Estuko, I see your mission has been a sucess." Iruka said, ignoring Naruto's whining. Kakashi and Estuko nodded. Sakura held a fist up, threatingly close to Naruto's face. He gulped, and shut his mouth.

"Hai, we were sucessful during this mission." Estuko said, smiling. Kakashi sighed. "We are not prepared for any C Rank missions, because our teamwork needs improvement." He finished.

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto were silenced by this and listened carefully.

Estuko sighed dramatically. "Although, the teamwork that they showed during their Survival Training was splendid, I also agree with Kakashi that C Ranks should not be given to this team."

Sakura couldn't help but be taken back to the day before.

_Estuko dropped into a crouch. "Doton-" She was interrupted when she felt someone grab her back. She gasped, and tried to shake them off. She looked to her right to see Kakashi struggling with the same problem._

_"Muri, muri. You can try to shake us off all you want but we won't budge!" Naruto's shadow clones said gleefully. Estuko growled, grabbing the back of his shirt and throwing him off her back, and into Sasuke._

_"Too late!" She turned around to see multiple shuriken heading towards her, and she side stepped to the right sighing to herself. Using the same tactic, tsk tsk, so disappointing. _

_"Don't underestimate our teamwork!" Sakura yelled, as the shuriken immediately made a turn, and came back towards her. _

_Estuko jumped back, and narrowed her eyes. "Wire, smart move." She said to herslef. __**"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" **__She heard Sasuke's outburst, and realized that Sasuke hadn't only wired the shuriken, but wired the tree branches and had attached some explosive tags. Sasuke held onto the other end of the wire, sitting on the branch of the tree across from her, smirking,_

_"Shit." Was the only thing that she could say before the whole tree had exploded into tiny bits. Sakura and Naruto had to cover their eyes with their arms, and hoped that their third teammate wasn't caught in the explosion._

"Sakura-chan!" Sakura was removed from her trance and blicked twice. Naruto had nudged her in the arm, and she glared, punching him in the arm, even harder.

"_**Touch me again, and I'll break your fucking nose**_." She snarled, fangs appearing. Naruto cringed, and shrinked back into a tiny corner, drawing something on the floor, with a dark depressed aura around him.

_You took over..._

_**Well, he was being annoying.**_

"It seems as if those two won't last two seconds without Naruto annoying Sakura, and Sakura attempting to put him in the hospital." Iruka said, silently observing Sakura and Naruto.

Sakura puffed her cheeks, and Naruto sobbed quietly. _Totally untrue! Well, maybe-HEY! It's not my fault that he always pisses me off!_

Sarutobi crossed his arms across his chest, his gaze hardened as he stared into Estuko and Kakashi's eyes.

"After ths next D Rank Mission, I expect you to enlighten me when you're ready to take on a C Rank mission." Sarutobi pressed his lips in a thin line, and Sakura glanced at her mother.

Her mother was shaking, but kept her emotions in check, and nodded, agreeing with Sarutobi's decision.

Sakura's eye twitched and she stomped her foot in outrage. "Uso! We've shown enough potential to go on a C-Rank mission! It just isn't fair!" Sakura yelled, baring her teeth.

Eiko bonked her daughter over her head, causing Sakura to yell out in pain. "Itai-That hurt you old prune!" Sakura screamed, not knowing how much of a scene she was causing.

"Sakura, don't be childish. How dare you act like an indecent shinoi in front of the Hokage?" Eiko scolded, narrowing her eyes at Sakura.

Sakura immediately shut up, and stood up straight again.

_**Code for, "Wait until we get home." Sakura, you're gonna get your ass whooped when we leave.**_

Sasuke was glaring at his shoes, coldly, and Naruto was fuming, steam coming out of his ears, and Sakura could have sworn that Kakashi looked disappointed for a second.

It was clear that the whole team wanted some excitement, and was looking forward into getting a C Rank Mission. Heck, she was gripping the side of her dress in frusturation. They had been doing D Rank missions for the past two weeks and no improvement in their teamwork whatsoever.

Her hand twitched, and she was about to retort again, but-

"That's not fair, Old man!" Naruto outbursted, his whisker marks growing darker. Was it just her, or did Naruto seem more animalistic? His eyes flashed red for a second, and his fists were flailing in the air.

Everyone was shocked, but Sakura growled. That's right, Naruto was the only one that the least chance at getting them a C Rank Mission.

_**Old man, ha! We're never gonna get a C-Rank Mission at this rate.**_

_Why did he have to go and mess things up!_

Iruka slapped the palm of his hands onto his desk, glaring at how Naruto had simply adressed the Hokage in such a rude manner. "Naruto! How dare you address the Hokage with such an unfittng title! The decision is final, and we don't plan on rethinking this over." Iruka scolded.

Naruto growled. "But, Iruka-sensei! All we've been doing is recapture a missing cat, who keeps running away from his owner! It's stressfull and annoying! I want some excitement!" Naruto was being held back by Sakura, who was shocked by the amount of strength that he was using.

_Damn! He's strong!_

"That will show perseverance, and help you learn proper teamwork." Iruka finished sitting back down. Etsuko was very upset at this and decided to take a stand herslef.

"Hokage-sama, please excuse Naruto's idiocity and my daughter's inconvience(Naruto sobs and Sakura scowls), but, I'm sure that everyone here agrees with the Knuckle Head that a C Rank mission wou ld put our abilities, teamwork, and instincs to the test. As it would be a life changing and frightening experience. I'm sure that the rest of my team agrees." Etsuko glanced at her team, who had stayed silent the whole time, and they gave her a nod of agreement.

Estuko nodded. "So please, assign us a C Rank mission. We know that teamwork is needed for this mission. So allow us to prove oursleves." Sakura finished for her mother, bowing respectfully, before pulling Naruto, who was cringing, by the ear out the door.

The rest of the team bowed without any other exchange of words and dismissed themselves from the room.

Iruka was left in awe, and Sarutobi nodded with approval.

"Iruka, I want you to file out a C Rank mission most fitting for this team." Sarutobi finished closing his eyes. Iruka rubbed his temple in frusturation, but soon obliged to his Hokage's orders.

"Hai, hai."

* * *

"Ya stupid idiot, you could've ruined it for us back there, ya know that?" Estuko scolded, knuckle against her cheek, as she stared at Sakura dumbly.

The team was sitting at the Training Ground, deciding to hang out for a bit. Sakura pouted, and felt someone's eyes on her.

"Well, you can't blame me, right? I can't believe that we didn't get a C-Rank this time." Sakura would never admit it, but she felt a bit let down by her whole team, for going along with it.

Naruto pouted, and crawled towards her. "B-But, didn't I help?! I said something, didn't I?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded.

Sakura puffed her cheeks out, and folded her arms across her chest, looking away. "Well...you did say someting...but in the end, you made it even worst, by calling him an Old Man!" Sakura retorted stubbornly.

"Eh?!" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief, his eyebrow raised in confusion. Estuko giggled, and pushed herself on the swings, smiling. Kakashi looked at her with questioning eyes, but it didn't last long as his eyes scanned the pages of his Icha Icha Paradise Book.

"Sakura-Chan! Sakura-Chan! Do you want to go out for Ramen tonight?" Naruto suddenly blurted, shaking with excitement. Sakura raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, and thought about it for a moment.

"No."

"Come on, just this once, Sa-ku-ra-CHAN!"

A vein popped out of Sakura's forehead, and she punched Naruto in the face, causing him to fall on his butt.

"Naruto, you're being so _annoying _right now! I will _never _go out with an idiot like _you! _Can't you see that I'm perfectly fine with Sasuke-Kun! _You_ could never _compare_ to _him! " _She blurted out without thinking. Once she realized what she had said, her hands covered her mouth in shock. Naruto's eyes shrunk, and his smile dropped.

_**Way to blow it, dumbass. **_

Sakura dropped her hands to her sides. "Naruto...wai-" Naruto shrugged her off and turned his back to her. He let a low growl escape from the back of his throat, and his eyes flashed red, causing Sakura to take a step back, and stare at him in shock.

_W-What the hell did I just see? Those eyes looked like they wanted to kill._

_**Well maybe you're right. They looked like they wanted to kill you at the moment.**_

"Whatever, Sakura." He said coldly, walking off with his hands in his pockets.

Sakura instanly felt like the atmosphere got uncomfortable, and all stares were directed at her. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line, and her fists tightened. She glanced up, and regretted it.

Her mother, Etsuko was scowling at her, and Kakashi looked at her with a frusturation, before turning away to look back into his book. Sasuke's glare was the worst out of them all. His eyebrows were furrowed, his black eyes gave her the most dirtiest look ever, and his mouth was downcast into a disgusted scowl. Sakura couuld feel her heart freeze up already.

"I-I-" She looked from her mother to Kakashi. "-Sasuke-Kun, I-" Sakura pleaded, but Sasuke turned away and sneered. "What? Now that Naruto's gone, you're gonna try and ask me out for a date? You're such a bitch Sakura, do you know that? I could say so much more right now, but-" Sasuke gave her a cold sidesway glance. "I wouldn't want to waste my breath on you." He then walked off in the opposit direction then Naruto had.

Sakura could feel her eyes getting wet and her cheeks getting pink. She had never felt so upset and embarrassed before. She didn't even bother to wipe them away.

_I-It's all that stupid Naruto's fault! Why would he ask me out for Ramen in front of everyone! I bet that he just wants everyone to hate me!_

_**Sakura, I have to agree with that Cock. You're hating on Naruto for no fucking reason. He was just being nice, and he just asked you out for Ramen. Wouldn't it kill you to just say yes just one time? Naruto's a really nice guy, as you can see, nicer than Sasuke.**_

_But, now Sasuke hates my guts! He'll never like me now! He'll never talk to me again!_

_**You have no one to blame, but yourself. You took it too far. I'm done talking to you. Wake me up, when you've actually figured things out and stopped being a Fan Girl.**_

Etsuko and Kakashi sighed in unison. Sakura finally wiped away her tears, and stared at her feet. She knew what was coming. Her mother would get up and sla-

"Sakura. Go after him."

_Eh?_

She could feel her heart beat faster, but she didn't know why. Was she scared? Was she feeling empathetic? Was she feeling _guilty_?

"Why should I?" She asked stubbornly. Etsuko's face went red, and her hand was now a few centimenters away from her face. Sakura's green eyes eyed the hand with shock, and she took a step back.

_S-She's going to hit me!_

Etsuko stared at her daughter for two seconds, before dropping her hands down to her side. She sighed and placed her hands on her hip.

_What am I going to do with this child?_

Etsuko opened her gray eyes and glared Sakura down, shaking her to the very core. Kakashi sighed at this, but knew that Sakura deserved all the hate directed to her right now. He had to control himself from lashing out at her.

"Fine then. If you won't do it, then I'll have to find him myself." Etsuko scratched the back of her head. Etsuko narrowed her eyes at Kakashi. "And there you were, literally begging to get a C-Rank." Her eyes slowly traveled back to Sakura, getting sharper. "Well, where's your so called teamwork now, Sakura? How can you manage a C-Rank Mission without your team?" With that lingering question, Etsuko disappeared with a dust of clouds, leaving Sakura in the dust.

Coughing, Sakura covered her mouth with the palm of her hand, waving at the dust in the air. Kakashi watched, and slowly stood up, walking towards Sakura. Sakura opened her eyes and waited for Kakashi to finally throw the salt into the wound.

Surprisingly, Kakashi pressed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, giving her a forced one eyed smile behind his mask. Sakura bowed her head in regret as she listened intently to Kakashi's words.

"I know that you didn't mean it, Sakura." Sakura's eyes widened and she shook her head denying his statement altogether. She meant it. She didn't think twice and she had gone out and said it. She had destroyed the only thing keeping her team together. She broke Naruto's heart. Sakura gripped the fabric of the front of her shirt. What was worse was that she didn't even know if she was feeling guilty or not.

"Kakashi-Sensei, I don't need your stupid sympathy. You damn as well know that what I said wasn't impulsive." She said. Kakashi smiled once more, patting her shoulder softly, and giving it a small grip, before disappearing as well.

Sakura's lip quivered and now it all started to come back to her. Why hadn't she given Naruto a chance? He had saved her twice during Survival Training, when he had the option and choice to just leave her there to fend for herself. He always complimented her on her looks, and yes, even her wide forehead. He was the only guy who had the balls to ask out a freak with pink hair and a huge forehead! Naruto...was a nice guy.

_Naruto, doesn't deserve this type of shit from me. I should go apologize._

_**Finally! Every single fucking time that damn Uchiha is there, you go on and on about how annoying Naruto is. But, now you finally realize that Naruto is waaaay better than that Cock! **_

_Ughh, you make me so sound like a total bitch._

_**It's what you are, right?**_

_...shut up._

* * *

_I can't believe that Sakura-Chan said that to me...I know that she doesn't like me, but it was really harsh. _Naruto thought to himself, as he made his way through a large crowd of people. They were having a sales at the nearby Department Store, and everyone had gathered to go there.

It was pure hell to Naruto.

He was being pushed, stomped on, and pinched by villagers. As much as he wanted to pull them by their collars and beat the living crap out of them, it would be against his person and his own self respect.

He could take them all. He would show them. He would prove them all wrong. He was _not _a monster.

His hand went to his belly, and he started to rub circles aroung his tummy. He was _starving. _If only he could take one quick stop to Ichiraku's and get some Ramen. He patted his pocket with his other hand. But, he couldn't. He spent all his money on cheap instant Ramen from the Department Store, but ate them all in two days.

He really shouldn't have done that. It was stupid of him to waste his money when he could have bought Ramen from Ichiraku which would have been waaaay cheaper.

He gritted his teeth when someone had nudged him in the shoulder. Well, coming here was a bad mistake. Naruto tried to continue walking, but the man grabbed him by the shoulder, holding him there, before throwing him to the floor.

_**BAM!**_

Naruto skidded across te floor, hitting multiple flower vases, and knocking them over, breaking them in the process.

_OW! Ughh, my head feels like lead._

Naruto closed his eyes tightly because of the pain. His hand reached out to touch the back of his head, and he could feel blood rushing out and onto his fingers.

_Tch. I'm bleeding._

"What the hell was that fo-!" His eyes widened when he saw a council member, looming over him, a grim look on his face. He had black hair, similar to Sasuke, but less spikier, and icy blue eyes that could cut his very soul. Naruto gasped out in pure terror at the immense hate the man was emitting. Naruto when realizing the similarity, felt intimidated.

"I'd never would have thought that I'd see you here, Demon." Gurou spatted, disgusted with seeing the Nine Tails Container in the streets. Naruto just ignored him, and tried to get up, but with one swift kick to his head from Gurou, he was knocked back down again. Gurou then punched him in the gut, leaving him gasping for air, and kicked him in the chest. Just when you thought the guy was finished, he stomped down on Naruto's hand with the heel of his shoe.

"Ughh!" Naruto started groaning when he felt the bones in his hand cracking.

_Shit. _He thought. _Where are the Anbu when you need them?_

Gurou was prepared to deliver another blow to the poor boy's head, until a small voice interrupted him.

"Um, Father? I don't feel comfortable in this crowd, surrounded by yelling people. Can we please go now?" A small boy with spiky red hair asked tugging on Gurou's wrist sleeve. Gurou scowled at Akihiro's antics and sighed heavily.

Naruto was surprised to see another boy standing on Gurou's left side, who looked exactly like Akihiro.

_Woah! Now, that's something that you don't see everyday!_

The look alike, gave Naruto a cold stare for a moment, before tucking on his father's sleeve. "Father, we have more important things to do." Akihito said, blankly, his green eyes darkening.

Gurou spared Naruto one more bone chilling glare, and before turning his heel, he stomped on Naruto's hand once more. "I have no time to waste with garbage like you." Naruto heard him say as he watched his back retreat.

The boy on the man's left side turned his head around, and gave a small dark look that read, We-didn't-try-to-save-you-or-anything. He then quickly turned his head, quickening his pace to match his father's.

Naruto was in shock.

* * *

After she realized that her husband was out of sight, Etsuko quickly rushed to Naruto's aid, her sandals leaving dusty trails behind her. Naruto was still on the floor, tears escaping his eyes, and a large cut was forming beneath his headband.

"Naruto!" Etsuko yelled out in concern, as she crouched down in front of him, guilty about not having the guts to confront Gurou. Naruto paid no attention to her, but looked at the ground, clenching his jaw, not wanting for her to see him break down and cry.

_H-He's bleeding!_

_**Gurou, that bastard-!**_

_Why would he beat up such an inncoent boy?! It's disgusting!_

_**Political views, remember?**_

_Shit. That's right. He has a chair in the Civilan Council. The Villagers are pratically sucking his toes._

Etsuko then noticed that a trail of blood trickled down his nose. She almost screamed at this, but gulped her anger down. Naruto needed her, and her freaking out would only scare him. But, had her husband come at him with an intent to kill? Sure, Naruto was a Prankster, but how could anyone want to kill him. From her perspective, he hadn't done anything wrong.

She saw Naruto's shoulders twitch a little under her gaze. Her eyes lowered, and she could see some water droplets fall onto the floor.

_I-Is he crying? _Etsuko thought in shock, her hand twitching. Her inner was groaned.

"Naruto. Hey, Naru-" Etsuko's hand was shrugged off when Naruto quickly stood up on his feet, wiping away his tears with the sleeve of his left hand. Etsuko's hand fell to her side, and she sighed, glaring at the ground.

"Tch, I never would have expected that you would follow me back here, _Sensei_." Etsuko started feeling even more guilty, and her bangs covered her eyes. It was embarrassing. So embarrassing that she was on her knees begging her student to forgive her lousy actions.

She stood up as well. "Look, I know that you're mad about what happened with Sakura. I swear sometimes she can be a total pain, but she's regretting her actions right now, and we all, even you know that she didn't mean it." Etsuko's right hand went to caress Naruto's shaggy blonde hair, but he stepped back, glaring at her.

"How do you_ know _that? Of course she meant it because she thinks that I'm_ always _in the way of her getting what_ she wants_. Namely, Sasuke, that _prick_!" Naruto argued. Etsuko inwardly sighed, rolling her eyes.

"She's at that age, you know. And so are you." She said, patting his head. Naruto started to slowly calm down and was starting to get tired. "Whatever." He grumbled, not listening to what she was saying.

"So, let's put it behind us, and torture her together." She brought Naruto in for for a hug, and Naruto was relunctant at first. Tears were streaming down his face as he thought back to all the days in the past. When everyone would ignore him and adults would chase him away from Parks with torches. He remembered everyday coming back home to his apartment, to find it vandelized with all these words.

_Demon brat!_

_Host!_

_Die somewhere and don't come back!_

_You'll never become a Shinobi!_

Naruto's face hit Etsuko's chest, and he gripped the front of her shirt, burying his face in her clothes. Etsuko smiled grimly, rubbing circles at the back of his head, whispering soothing words to him.

"Why do I have this _thing _inside of _me_? Why does everyone hate _me? _Why did nobody want to play with me? Why don't I have any parents? Why was _I born like this_?" Naruto grieved, letting out a cry. Etsuko felt her heart get torn into two. She closed her eyes, and hugged Naruto even tighter, letting his tears soak her vest.

_Shit! I pisses me so much that I can't tell him how much of a hero he was. _

_**It pisses me off just thinking about Gurou smirking like the bastard he is. So, what do we do?**_

_Koori, what do you think I should do? _

_**Cheer him up of course.**_

"Hey, Naruto? Guess what?" She asked, running her hand through his blond hair. Naruto slowly stopped sobbing, and pulled away from his Sensei.

"What?" He asked, his voice croaked. Etsuko tapped her chin and smirked a little. She couldn't wait to see the excited look on his face once she told him. "The Hokage, he actually took me by surprise when he told me this." She crouched down to his eye level, motioning for him to come closer.

Naruto did what he was told, and got closer. Etsuko grinned and pulled his ear down. "We get our first C-Rank tomorrow." Once those words left her mouth, Naruto's eyes slowly widened with disbelief. Etsuko's lips curved into a smile once she saw his expression.

"Excited?"

Naruto jumped up in exhiliration, and he pumped his fist in the air. "YES! Oh, yes! We've got a C-Rank mission! FINALLY!" He high fived Etsuko and Etsuko quieted him down. Naruto crouched down as well, wanting to get in on the details.

"So, are we going to protect a Princess? Or fight off some assasins? Or maybe even capture this wanted business man who makes profits off of Child labor and women?! Whatever it is, I'm sure that it'll be badass!"

Etsuko laughed at his actions and ruffled his hair, giving him a wide smile. "Sure it will be. Let's get you home now, it's late."

Naruto groaned, pouting after. "Is it really time to go? I can't wait that long!" He whined, standing up.

Etsuko ruffled his hair once more before bending down to eye level. "And Naruto?" She asked slowly. Naruto turned his head to look at her with a wide grin. "Yes, Sensei?" He asked. Etsuko smiled, placing her hands on her hips. "Please, forgive Sakura. She's been having it rough for the past few years." She said hollowly. "Don't hold anything she says against her. And always be there for her, to take care of her." She croaked, her eyes getting watery. "After all, there might be a time when she'll be all alone. And you know Sakura, as stubborn as shit. Won't talk to anyone about what's bothering her. Just please, always be there to protect her. Even from herself." Etsucko finished, wiping away unshed tears from her eyes.

Naruto's face hardened, but he nodded anyway. "Hai."

Etsuko glanced at her wrist watch, and groaned. "Shit. It _is _late. Naruto, I'm screwed if Hokage-Sama knows that you aren't home yet." Etsuko face palmed, and quickly shook her head.

"Let's go get you home, shall we?"

"Can we get some Ramen on the way?"

"Sure. We'll get Takeout."

* * *

Sakura bowed her head, and her throat started to burn a little, as if tears were going to resurface. "N-Naruto. I-I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I didn't mean it, it was just that I was really frustrated today and it just slipped. Don't hold it against me." She said, with each word causing her shoulders to shake. She was watching the whole scence where Naruto had been crying into her mother's bossom.

Sakura closed her eyes, hoping that Naruto would revert back to his regualr self. She wanted there to be no tensions between herself and her teammates. But, it seemed to late for that statement.

"Tch, I never would have expected that you would follow me back here,_ Sensei_." She heard Naruto spat. Sakura's head shot up, and she looked at Naruto's battered and bruised face, which was scratched up. Maybe from getting thrown to the floor. His clothes were ripped in variuos places and what had made her feel even more remourseful was they way his eyes looked.

His usually warm and cheerful blue eyes were now full of regret and pain, staring daggers at the ground. Sakura frowned and got up from her kneeling position. Once she saw her mother comforting Naruto, she was relieved.

_Now, I guess that I'll just go home. _

_**And when you get home, you'll get your ass whooped.**_

* * *

**_G.S. NOEL: *SIGH* YEAH! CHAP THREE IS UP! YAAY!_**

**_G.S. NOEL: THANKS TO THOSE WHO HAVE R&R, ENJOY YOUR COOKIES!_**


	4. First Mission and Inner Sakura Appears!

**G.S. NOEL: HA! I UPDATED FASTER THAN I EXPECTED! TAKE THAT YOU BASTARD!**

**SASUKE:...YOUR WRITING STILL SUCKS THOUGH.**

**G.S. NOEL: SHUT UP.**

**SAKURA: CAN YOU GET TO THE POINT ALREADY?**

**G.S. NOEL: *CLEARS THROAT* YEAH, SAKURA'S RIGHT. UM, LET'S SEE. I FORGOT...**

**SAKURA: *SIGH* IT'S A GOOD THING THAT I ACTUALLY WROTE IT ALL DOWN WHEN YOU WERE IN YOUR ROOM, RECITING IT ALL.**

**G.S. NOEL: *BLUSH* Y-YOU WERE IN MY _ROOM_?**

**SAKURA: WHERE_ ELSE_ WOULD I BE?**

**G.S. NOEL: UM, HOW DID I_ NOT_ SEE YOU IN MY ROOM?!**

**SAKURA: I WAS UNDER YOUR BED.**

**G.S. NOEL: LET'S DISCUSS THIS...LATER.**

**SAKURA: FINE. IN THIS CHAPTER, TAZUNA MAKES HIS FIRST APPEARANCE, AND SO DOES INNER SAKURA! WELL, INNER SAKURA MAKES HER _FIRST PHYSICAL_ APPEARANCE!**

**G.S. NOEL: THAT DOESN'T COUNT.**

**SAKURA: YOU SAID IT.**

**G.S. NOEL: DID I REALLY?**

**SAKURA: AND THEN, SHIT HAPPENS. SHIT AS IN, SAKURA GOING CRAZY SHIT! THEN, NARUTO GETS POISONED, AND SAKURA-**

**NARUTO: SPOI-LER A-LERT!**

**G.S. NOEL: IT'S REALLY AMUSING HOW YOU'RE REFERRING TO YOURSELF IN THE THIRD PERSON. ALRIGHT, TO SUM IT UP, THIS CHAPTER IS CONFUSING, AND A LOT OF CRAP HAPPENS. ESPECIALLY WITH INNER SAKURA. SO, IF YOU WANT, YOU COULD SKIP THE FIGHTING SCENE. BUT, IF YOU DO, YOU'LL MISS A LOT OF IMPORTANT STUFF. BUT, IT WILL BE REFERRED BACK TO IN LATER CHAPTERS, SO YOU WON'T MISS OUT ON THAT MUCH. BUT, IT'S OPTIONAL TO SKIP, SO...**

**SAKURA: ENJOY!**

**G.S. NOEL: HEY, WHAT ABOUT THE THANK YOUS**

* * *

**_Poobear07: Thanks for reading my story so far and supporting me! *Here's a cookie for reviewing!*_  
**

**_Tahkz01: Thanks for reviewing my story! Here's the update! Enjoy the chapter! *Here's a cookie for reviewing!*_**

**ENJOY FELLOW READERS!**

* * *

_**Akihito POV.**_

"Do I believe in duplication of personalities?" I couldn't tell if my voice was surprised or if I was very confused. My brother, Akihiro, sat cross legged, on his bed, his head glaring out the window. I draped the long white bed sheet over my shoulders and raised an eyebrow, staring at my brother.

"Well, do you believe in them?" Akihiro asked me again, a bit more stubbornly. I scratched the side of my head, my red hair falling into my green eyes. Hidden personalities, Heh I believed in them alright. Mom and Onee-chan always had these weird mood swings, especially in the morning.

"Well, of course. Mom and Onee-chan are always going through mood swings " I blabbered, dumbly. For some reason, Akihiro kept his mouth shut and stared out the window for the first time, and I couldn't help but worry about what was going through his mind right now.

"You're not really serious about this right? Why are you so hung up about it anyway? I mean, you really shouldn't be concerned about something like that, Hiro." I assured him, making sure to add his nickname to my statement, to distract his mind from that thought.

My brother uncrossed his legs and turned his head to me, with one of his dubious expressions. I blinked twice, and hid myself in my blanket and away from Akihiro's strange look. My pale feet soon became exposed to the cold wind. Akihiro ignored it, and seemed like he didn't mind the wind.

"You see_ it _don't you?" His face was a bit pink as he shouted out, a bit above a whisper.

Sometimes, this kid could be random sometimes. But, he notices things that even Dad doesn't. He _senses _things that Dad doesn't.

"How the hell would I know?! You're just going around, asking the weirdest questions and screaming at everyone! What the heck am I supposed to see anyway?!" I shout back, my nose feeling as if it was being tickled. I grabbed the bed sheets, removing them from my body, and laying down, spreading it across my body. It was way too late to be arguing about something so irrelevant and stupid. Tch, Dad would punish us all if we got another complaint from our neighbors.

"It's Onee-chan. I think that there's something going on with Onee-chan. I bet that she doesn't even notice the small changes in herself." I froze at what he said, but continued to face the wall, with calculating cold eyes. I guess that I did have something to worry about. What a complicated family I have been born into.

"Last night, when I went to get a cup of water, I walked passed the Hallway to Onee-chan's room. I felt a weird feeling in my gut, so I walked by to see if she was awake." That was when I heard the uneasiness in his voice, and I felt like urging him on. Nothing could scare Akihiro like this. He never seemed scared.

Akihiro face resorted into a face of horror and he paled. "The only thing that I could see was these unusual tattoos that glowed red in the dark, and her eyes were red..." He gulped, and I could now understand why he was so alarmed.

"Like Mom's." We both said in unison. As much as I'd like to forget, I couldn't help but let my mind wander back to that dark stormy day. When Oka-San first showed signs of insanity. Or was it warning signs of two persona's in one body.

Akihiro quickly reached over for the lamp, before our minds could wander any farther and he took in a large in take of breath. I blinked, adjusting my eyes to the darkness.

"There's _no way _that something like _that_ is gonna happen." I chocked out. Akihiro laughed nervously, grabbing the other end of the blanket.

"Y-Yeah. I was just probably seeing things." Hell, he needed to get his sanity checked. I hid my head childishly under the blanket shivering from the cold wind.

"Let's just sleep."

"Yeah, night Hito."

I gulped, sweat rolling down the side of my head. "Night, Hiro." I mumbled, forcing my eyes closed. It wasn't like I could sleep anyway. With all this fear radiating from my body.

I sighed. This was gonna be a long night.

* * *

"So hot," Naruto complained, fanning his flushed with his right hand and holding up is bag in his other. Sasuke grunted in agreement, but Sakura refrained from saying anything. Her green eyes squinted up to the sun, trying to adjust her eyes to the brightness, but soon her head started stirring.

It was their first mission.

_**Would it even hurt to be fucking specific?**_

_Fuuuuccck. But, that's too much work..._

OK. Not their f_irst _mission, but like their first r_eal _mission without them having to chase down some psycho cat, Tora-chan, who kept running away from his harassing owner. This time, they were going to protect and kick butt! Steam of excited escaped Sakura's nostrils like a bull ready to charge, her fists tightened, and she held her head up in pride. This was the time to prove to her teammates that she was strong!

_This mission is gonna be a piece of cake! When, we get back, I'll shove it in Ino's face! Cha!_

_**Don't get cocky, Sakura. We all know that at least Ino has more balls than you do. **_

_For some reason, I'm not really offended by that comment._

_**Metaphorically speaking, you're a coward.**_

_Let the fun last while it can~._

Kakashi walked by Etsuko, hand in pocket, and one holding up his orange book. Etsuko sighed involuntarily. Kakashi looked too busy to comment about Naruto being too dramatic.

Sakura had stuck to the style of wearing what she had worn before training. She wanted to save the outfit for a more perfect and rewarding occasion. And, besides, she had nothing to do with it.

_Yea! The outfit makes me look so~ badass!_

_**Sure it does...*cough* not* really. *cough***_

_I hope you know that I heard that. It wasn't really a nice thing to say._

She furrowed her eyebrows and glanced at her mother.

_**Speaking of family and having nothing to do at home...**_

For some reason, for the past two days, she had found herself eating breakfast alone, eating dinner at an empty table, and going to bed in an empty house. It was rare for her to come home to an empty house. But, the most reasonable explanation was that her mother was busy making arrangements for their C-Rank mission, her father attending meetings, her brothers probably at the academy or goofing off with Konohamaru.

Even still, she felt like she was being avoided. Not just by her own family, but by her teammates. Neither of them had spoken a word to her.

"Am I that irresistible you old prune?! Stop staring at me!" Naruto yelled, fed up with the old man, Tazuna's staring. Sakura turned her head to the side, trying to turn her attention somewhere else. Tazuna was a slightly tall man, with a ridiculous habit for drinking. He never took a break! The guy was tots annoying and teased them awfully too much. Which made Naruto even more annoying(To Sasuke). Especially when he made fun of his height.

"For the love of god, I wasn't staring at you shorty. I was observing if you were like a ninja in disguise. I mean, there is no way that you kids could guard and protect me from harm, you just can't." He laughed the last part to himself, taking a swing of his bottle.

"One day, I promise you, one day, I will take on the super elite Ninja title, Hokage! Because I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Remember it!"Naruto outburst looking smug.

_Ugh, I'm getting a headache._

_**FOR THE LOVE OF KAMI, SHUT UP, NARUTO! SHANNARO!**_

Tazuna rolled his eyes. "As if someone like _you _could become _that_." He muttered.

_**Way to be a dream crusher, fucking geezer.**_

_What kind of bipolar person are you?_

"Shut up! Once I become Hokage, you will have to acknowledge me!" Naruto retorted, stomping his foot on the ground.

Tazuna shook his head. "In your dreams, brat. Even if you do become Hokage, I'll never respect you in any way."

Naruto huffed and folded his arms over his chest. His spiky blonde hair, being brushed to the side, not that it helped anyway. "We _are _ninja, old man. We'll protect you, so don't get scared now." Naruto teased, the joking smile returning to his face.

The man scowled at him, having no more to say, and Sasuke listened to their conversation having no comments.

_All right. Time to move in and interrogate our 'escort'._

Sakura smiled gently, moving closer to Tazuna, curiously. "Hey, Tazuna-San? Why do you seem so stiff? Do you actually think that we won't be capable of protecting you?" She asked, her words with hesitation.

_I hope that he at least has faith in us._

_**Oh, he will. Cause it will go down after I fuck. Him. Up.**_

Tazuna smiled grimly at her, taking another swing of his bottle, gulping down the acid like liquid furiously. Sakura started to slow down, to stay at his slow pace behind the others. Tazuna licked his lips, and looked down at his glass bottle, eyes narrowed.

"It's not that you guys aren't ninja or anything, but you might not even be capable. No, you aren't even capable. You should have all just stayed home, where you can still be in your mom's arms loving arms, and your dad's protective ones. Continue being pampered, and leave the ninja stuff to the adults. How old are you, eleven right? You're still old enough to go shopping with your best friends and play with dolls." Tazuna said, taking another swing of his bottle. Naruto and Sasuke glared at him. Sakura wanted to continue the conversation.

"Do you have any Ninja in the Wave Country?" She asked, her eyes glinting. Kakashi smiled at this and decided to answer her question in Tazuna's place.

"Not in the Wave Country, but in some other countries. The culture and costumes are different, but hidden villages do exist, and so do ninjas." He said, tapping his chin. Etsuko smiled softly at her daughter's inquiry of the ninja world and grabbed Kakashi by the arm, holding it firmly.

"That's right. That's right. I hope you're taking notes, Sakura-chan." Etsuko scolded nodding five times. Sakura scowled and rolled her eyes at her mother. "Geez, you make it sound like you said something important." She said placing a hand on her hip.

Etsuko growled, letting go of Kakashi's arm and faced her daughter, poking her on the forehead with her index finger. "That's because I _did." _She fumed. Sakura flushed and slapped away her mother's finger.

"Would you stop pointing at my forehead?"

"Make me."

"Kami, you are such a child."

"A cuter one than you are."

"Why you-!"

Kakashi reached out to pat Sakura's head. He ruffled her hair, and Sakura sighed. "Don't worry Sakura, this is a C-Rank Mission, we won't be battling any ninja." He reassured. Sakura's eye twitched.

"That's not what I'm worried about!" Sakura yelled. Tazuna looked downcast, and Sasuke caught the dark look in his eyes.

_What's going on?_

Sakura narrowed her eyes down at the floor, stopping quickly. She didn't know why but she could feel some heavy killer intent. Etsuko and Kakashi stopped as well.

Naruto and Sasuke turned back to look at the two lacking in pace, and stopped walking. Sakura's pupils shrunk as she shivered in her clothes, hugging herself. Her hair slightly moved up in the wind, and her frightened eyes met Naruto's confused ones.

_Sakura-Chan? Are you OK? What happened? Are you cold? Did that old geezer say something creepy to you? _Naruto thought concerned. Even though he was pissed at her, he couldn't deal with being worried about his crush.

"Sakura," Kakashi started, gripping his weapon pouch. "Sakura, what's wrong?" Etsuko was right beside him, taking out a kunai. "Kakashi, I'm sensing some kind of dark presence Be on your guard." She admonished, she and Kakashi circling around their Genin.

_OK, maybe I'm being a lil' paranoid right now._

_**You call this paranoid? I think it's your instincts kicking in. Something's about to happen.**_

Sakura didn't say anything, but warning signals suddenly went off on Sasuke's head. Naruto started advancing towards her.

"Sakura-Chan, here, you can take my jacket, it's hot anyway. So-" Sasuke grabbed his arm firmly and pulled him back. Naruto's right foot was sinking into a puddle. Sakura's eyes locked onto the puddle, and she gritted her teeth.

"That's right. It's hot. So why is there a puddle if it hasn't rained days?" Kakashi hissed to his partner. Etsuko narrowed her eyes at him, stopping her movement to crossed her arms over her chest. "How should I know?"

_The puddle is looking awfully suspicious. It's not normal for there to be a puddle here, if it hadn't rained for a couple of days._

_**What do they take me for, an idiot? Whoever came up with this trap should get shot in the head. Maybe that bullet outta get their brains functioning properly again.**_

"Ugh! Damn it! I stepped in a puddle!" Naruto grumbled, trying to remove his foot from the puddle. The puddle rippled, and Sakura's eyes widened.

"Naruto, step back!" Sasuke warned, tugging on his arm. Naruto pulled away and started to walk faster towards Sakura. Sakura froze not being to move because of her numbing fear.

_There's something wrong with that puddle. I have a feeling that this is no minor coincidence! Something, or someone's going to attack Naruto!_

"Naruto, stay away!" She ordered. Naruto shot her a questioning look, and to Sakura's horror, two shadows jumped out of the puddle in lightning speed.

By instinct, Sakura lunged herself at Naruto, using her right shoulder to push him away. They rolled onto the grass and hit a tree, hard. Naruto was taken by at surprise as Sakura cradled his head to her left shoulder. Her shoulder was bruised by a pointy twig on the floor and her head banged on the trunk of the tree. She groaned in pain, but didn't get up.

"Son of a bitch! That kid and that girl got away!" Sakura heard a rough and muffled voice yell out in annoyance. She heard the clattering of chains, and the feel of something wet being thrown at them.

"Tch. At least that's two down." Another rough voice.

"Sakura...Chan...?" Naruto's low and frightened voice called. Sakura grunted in response, and Naruto shuffled under her. "Stay still." She said sharply. Naruto felt uncomfortable and looked on worriedly. "But, you're hurt." He said.

Sakura almost felt like laughing, but she couldn't and she wouldn't. The situation was too serious, now that they had just gotten ambushed by some random person(s). She pushed herself up a little, her arms shaking.

"A-Are you OK? You're not hurt, right?" She asked, concerned. Naruto frowned and sat up as well. "I should be the one asking that," he said. Sakura frowned at the sight of blood on Naruto's face.

_Blood, where had that come from? It wasn't mine because I'm not bleeding that much. Naruto doesn't look injured..._

"You're head is ours, you shitty bridge builder_!" _Sakura snapped her head in Sasuke's direction and two speeding figures were in the way of him seeing Sasuke. Sakura clicked her tongue, and froze when she realized that there were bloody limbs on the grassy hill.

Naruto seemed to notice too, and he was shocked. "K-Kakashi-Sensei, and Etsuko-S-Sensei. I can't...believe it." Sakura's heart started beating fast. Why did she see her mother's head lying face up, looking up at the sky, with no body? And Kakashi's torso torn up and his mask strewn over a bush with blood on it.

_W-Why are there body parts on the ground? When did they- No, _who _did they attack? Inner-_

_**Sakura, calm down. Your Chakra is spiking.**_

_No one got hurt. Not me, Naruto, or Sasuke. What's going o- Where's Kakashi-Sensei? Where's Etsuko-Sensei?_

_**Tch. We're all dead.**_

_What do you mean, 'We're all dead'?_

"Now that the two Jounins are out of the way, we can finally go after the Bridge Builder!" Naruto let out an animistic growl from the back of his throat. "You bastards..." Sakura started to tear up, and her body shook with new found anger.

"T-Those two Jounin. Torn to p-pieces like they were nothing...! GET ME OUTTA HERE!" Tazuna screamed, sweat rolling down the sides of his head. He dropped the alcohol bottle in his hands and tried to bolt, but Sasuke got in his way.

"Stay where you are. You running away would make it easier for them to kill us. Besides," Sasuke could feel his pupils pulse. "Let's see if they can get past an Uchiha." Tazuna started getting terrified again.

"Oh hell no! They'll tear us to shreds!" Tazuna yelled, shocked at how arrogant Sasuke was. Naruto jumped up from under Sakura and started to sprint to Sasuke and Tazuna. "I won't let you guys get away with this!" He yelled with anger, pulling out a kunai.

Sasuke face palmed, and wanted to beat the the tomatoes out of his teammate. "The_ hell_, Dobe?! I don't need your damn help! Protect Sakura, if they go after her, she'll get ripped into pieces too!" Sasuke yelled, glaring at Naruto.

Naruto glared back at Sasuke, color returning to his face. "The first thing to think about during a mission is to keep the Client safe. I'd be selfish just leaving you here to guard Tazuna while protecting someone who isn't in need nor wants help!" With that said, Naruto raised his kunai to eye level, glaring at his opponents. Sakura wasn't that trained, but he was sure that she didn't want him protecting her and thinking that she was weak. Besides, they were on a mission, and both their Senseis were slaughtered brutally. There was no time to be selfish.

The sound of chains got lower and lower, and Sakura could only imagine her mother and her sensei getting ripped to shreds by these two monsters. Her green eyes flickered red as she watched the two brothers rearing farther towards Sasuke and Tazuna with their claws outstretched.

_They're...dead. Right? They were just slaughtered. Kakashi-Sensei and Etsuko-Sensei._

_**Yes, everyone's dead. Can't you see? Naruto and Sasuke ran away while Tazuna was being ripped into shreds. They were so scared that they left you here all alone to die. Even Etsuko and Kakashi got scared shit less that they couldn't help but get killed.**_

Sakura was now starting to hallucinate and imagine the horrified looks of Naruto and the struggling face of Sasuke, both not knowing what to do and fleeing. Tazuna dropping all his bottles of alcohol and then being torn in half. And before all that, Kakashi and Etsuko getting thrown around like rag dolls, until they were torn to pieces.

Her blood started to boil.

_I-I'm starting to see it._

_**Yes,**_

_I'm all alone._

_**Yes, we're all alone. We not really. The two Rogue Ninja are still here.**_

_I'm scared. _Sakura slowly started to sob. _I don't want to die. I didn't want anyone to die. This was suppose to be our _first _mission. Everyone was supposed to come back to Konoha alive and proud, because we accomplished something that the other teams had not done. _

_**I feel a craving for some blood. Rogue Ninja blood.**_

_Wouldn't it be right for them to get what they deserve? _

_**Are you giving me permission to take over?**_

_It's not like I have anyone to protect. I just want to disappear for now..._

_**If you say so...just lay back for a while, I'll handle everything else. You won't have to suffer anymore.**_

The two rogue ninja laughed as the remaining Genin tried to protect Tazuna. They outstretched their blood stained chain, ready to severe Sasuke into pieces. Sasuke held out a kunai, sweat rolling down the side of his head.

_If they get pass me, I die. If they kill Tazuna, our mission won't be a success and we all die in the end. Shit. We're all dead._

"Three down-!" They slashed at both Naruto and Sasuke, but only caught Naruto in the process. Naruto hand was cut open, blood running furiously down the arm of his jacket. His winced, and tried to stop the blood before he had none left.

Sasuke closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the impact.

Sasuke, sensing the dark aura escaping from his female teammate, turned his gaze slowly to the right, alarmed. "S-Saku-" He couldn't finish because Sakura was moving at an unbelievable speed, and was quick to witness Sakura guarding him and Naruto with a long sword in hand. Naruto opened his eyes in surprise, but was even more bewildered to see that it was Sakura who had saved his ass from getting butchered like the two Jounin.

"S-Sakura." Sasuke blinked, his hold on his kunai tightening. "What the hell are you doing?! I don't need your help, I was fine on my own! You should have stayed out of the way to guard Tazuna like you're supposed too!" Sasuke ranted, furious that it was the dead weight who had saved his frightened ass.

"Tch, these Genin are stronger than we thought. We should bring you back to Gato. Maybe you can be a part of our small gang." They said in unison. Sakura gritted her teeth and slashed at their chain, pushing them back, but not shaking them off. The Rogue Nin quickly jumped a few yards back, making distance between them and Sakura. Sakura swung the large sword over her right shoulder, staring them down with blood shot red eyes.

_Ugh... My h-head...!_

**"No thanks. I don't need to be a part of your shitty gang. When I'm done with you guys, I'll just go and destroy that cowardly leader of yours. What was his name?" **Sakura tapped her chin before drawing her sword out once more, pointing it at the duo. **"Who gives a damn. Let us get this over with already. Sakura's starting to gain consciousness." **Sakura lunged at them, hunger for blood in her red eyes, and she brought her heavy sword done onto the chain.

"Shit!" The Rogue Nin cursed, trying to create a distance. Sakura smiled, and continued to slash them down.

**"Die!" **The first slash.

**"Die, die, die, die, DIE!" **After one slash, another quick followed, throwing both nin off guard Unfortunately, but luckily for them, they brought up their chain, at the last possible moment. Sakura glared at them, but her grip did not falter.

_M-My head! It hurts...! Stop. Inner, stop._

_**Let me have my fun, Sakura! I'll told you, go disappear somewhere for a while!**_

The Rogue Nins applied more pressure to their metal chain, glaring hungrily at Sakura. Sasuke was shocked to see Sakura glaring back at her with her blood thirsty eyes.

_When did she get so strong?_

Naruto was thinking about something else. How had Sakura _changed_ so much? Her whole attitude- she had no fear. No hesitation. She wanted to see blood. She had so much killer intent. The girl fighting in front of him was _not _Sakura.

Sakura smirked, withdrawing her sword, before slashing at the Rogue Nin's side, throwing him off balance. She twirled on her toes, and kicked the Nin into a huge tree. **"Sheesh, can't you do something new? Maybe clawing my throat out with those metal claws." **Sakura pulled at the collar of her shirt, revealing her pale, flawless neck. **"Or poke out my eye balls?" **She jumped back, hugging herself with desire. **"Or cut me up up, limb by limb by limb?" **She felt chills od delight run through her body.

"Gah!" Blood spurted out of the guy's mouth because of the impact of the kick, the ninja was buried inside the bark in the tree, causing the tree to brake in half. The other Nin looked on in shock, not being able to save his brother. He wrapped the ends of the chain around his two fists.

_Shit. They got brother. Whoever 'they' is. We shouldn't have underestimated these Konoha bastards._

Sakura grinned wickedly, and turned to meet Sasuke's eye. She smirked, and smirked even widely when looking at the ninja who she had thrown into the tree. She slowly walked towards him and placed her foot firmly on the struggling masked ninja's chest. She watched as his face was contorted with pain, and she pressed harder.

"Y-You bitch. We'll kill you." He could barely make out. Sakura's red eyes hardened. She transferred Chakra to the soles of her feet, creating a sharp edge. She smiled grimly, driving her foot through his abdomen, ignoring the blood splattering on her face.

**"Aw, but that's not entertaining enough. Killing me isn't enough, now is it? If you won't cut off my tongue then I'll have to cut off yours." **

"Gugh! Ugh!" The masked ninja groaned in agony. His brother was irate by this, and sprinted towards the two, using his Chakra to give him a boost. Sakura paid no mind to the approaching ninja and continued to assault her victim.

"**Ha! How will you kill me, if you're already dead?" **Sakura stopped grinning and slashed at his face with the sharp edge of her shoe.

Tazuna's pupils shrunk as his knees gave in. He hadn't noticed that he was breathing heavily because of the ambush, but what made him want to piss his pants was the show that Sakura was giving them.

"W-What is she?" Tazuna stuttered out. Sasuke was also terrified at Sakura's raw power. "I don't- When did she get so strong?"

She got bored quickly, and grabbed him by the hair, kneeing him in the bridge above his nose. Blood spurted from the ninja's nose, and his eyes started to roll to the back of his head. But, Sakura wasn't finished with him yet. She pulled lunged at the man's left shoulder with her sword, screwing it in there. The man screamed out in pain, and Sakura growled, driving her sword harder through his shoulder, getting pleasure from hearing his screams.

_Crack._

**"Yes"**

_Crack._

**"YES!"**

_Crack._

"AHHHH! IT FUCKING HURTS! GET THIS BITCH OFF OF ME!" The Rogue ninja wailed. Naruto, Sasuke, and Tazuna winced at how much pain was in the poor man's voice.

**"OH YES! I can feel it! I can hear your pain! It's delicious, but not enough. I need more. I need more **_**pain." **_Sakura roughly and carelessly removed the long gleaming blade from the man's shoulder, her tongue flicking out to lick the blood staining the blade.

**"Disgusting." **She spat.

Sasuke and Naruto watched in horror as Sakura started to smile wickedly. Her sword was sharp, with a black hilt, which had thorns engraved in it. Sakura laughed hysterically, raising the sword above her head, the tip pointing at the man's skull. The ninja stared Sakura down with a dirty look before nodding at his brother.

"B-Brother! Don't waste your time! Hurry up and kill the Bridge Builder, for Gato!" The ninja chocked out. Sakura chuckled at this and scratched the rogue ninja's forehead drawing a small star on it, drawing blood.

**"Aw, how touching. Saving your brother huh? Don't worry, you'll both share the same fate." **Sakura smiled widely.

The uninjured Rogue Nin lunged at her. "You _bitch!"_

**"Ha ha! Why don't you die already?!"**

The rogue ninja closed his eyes, awaiting the impact.

_Shatter._

Sakura watched in shock as her sword was shattered into glittery pieces. She tried to grab at all the small pieces, but failed, watching angrily as the pieces didn't reform.

**"What the **_**fuck?! **_**It **_**shattered**_**? My sword that I haven't wielded in four years has ****_shattered_?!" **Sakura yelled out in disbelief. A figure appeared behind Sakura and one in front of Sasuke.

"Yea, I could already feel you resurfacing. Why don't you leave my daughter alone and crawl back into your little hell hole?" Sakura raised her head to see Etsuko standing in front of her, her palm outstretched. "Go and sleep for another four years, Kusanagi." Etsuko said darkly, taking a step forward.

Kusanagi took a step back, licking her lips**. "Eh, it's been too long. How have you been? I really missed you, Etsuko-San. Or should I simply call you, **_**Mom?" **_

Etsuko glared, her eyes flickering red. Kusanagi shook one finger, shaking her head. **"You know that you can't blame this one on me. Sakura**_** let **_**me take over, because**_** you **_**made her believe that you **_**died." **_

_Inner, my body's feeling numb. What's going on? Why do I feel so exhausted?_

_**Fuck! You're so annoying. **_

Kusanagi grinned, scratching the back of her head, her hair dyed red with blood. She really didn't want to leave, but how could she stay and fight without a weapon? It was ludicrous and suicidal. Even she wasn't_ that _crazy.

**"It's time that I left anyway." **She smiled at her team. **"Sakura is awake." **She sighed aloud. She closed her eyes, and relaxed her body, letting Sakura take over her subconsciousness. **"But, then again, I could take over for a while longer." **She said wickedly.

Etsuko calmed her nerves, glaring at Kusanagi. The thorn in her side had returned and now when they got back from the mission, they would have to report this factor back to the Hokage.

_Clang!_

"Let me-!"

_Clash!_

"Kill that _bitch!" _The second Rogue Nin who had watched his brother get tortured raged on, attacking Kakashi, in order to get past him and kill Sakura/Kusanagi. Kakashi held his kunai against the chain, glaring at him with one eye. "You don't know what you're talking about! You've got the wrong person!" Kakashi yelled, defending Sakura, although deep down he knew that the words of his enemies were true.

The Rogue Nin started tearing up. "_NO! _How can you just tell me that the girl standing right _there _did not attack us?! I'm not stupid! I didn't even blink to see her torture my brother! That bitch's head is mine!"

"Naruto!" Etsuko yelled out. "Sasuke, bring Tazuna over here!" Both Genin obeyed their Sensei, but Tazuna was reluctant to follow after what he had seen Sakura done.

"Uh, are you sure that it's safe? I mean is the girl sane?" Tazuna asked aloud, hiding behind Sasuke. Sasuke nodded, and lead him to his two teammates. Naruto stood across from Sasuke and right in front of Sakura.

"Of course she's sane. She's my daughter." Etsuko ran a hand through her long red hair. "You guys need to find a way to reawaken Sakura. Her subconscious was nice enough to tell us that Sakura is conscious and awake. So, please wake her up. I need to give a hand to helpless Kakashi over there." Etsuko jumped up, her red hair slapping against her pale white face.

"Kakashi-Kun. This isn't any ordinary C-Rank Mission. I thought that we were just dealing with some thieves or maybe a gang. But these Rogue Ninja..." Etsuko trailed off, as soon as Kakashi started to tie down both of the two Rogue Ninja to the tree. Etsuko blinked once, walking over to her partner.

"Yeah, I didn't expect to see two Chunin from the Hidden Mist Village on this mission." Kakashi was now looking down upon the Ninjas and his voice darkened. "While I was 'dead', I was observed that they were not after our team, but after our Client, Tazuna." Tazuna's head snapped up and he gave Kakashi a grim look.

"We'll discuss this later."

Etsuko was now angry. "Discuss what later, Kakashi! We can't just leave Tazuna to fend for himself!" Etsuko shouted, slapping Kakashi over the head. "That would be a disgrace to not only Team 7, but to the Hokage and Konoha name!"

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura, Sakura, Sakura-" Naruto gently placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, causing him to stop. He shook his head. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. _What the hell does he want to do?_

"No, Teme. You have to do it like this-SAKURA WAKE THE HELL UP! THERE'S NO MORE DANGO, SASUKE ATE THEM ALL!" Naruto yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke. Sasuke flinched, and then composed himself with a brooding tone.

"Naruto. What the _fuck? _What if she wakes up like a psycho maniac again. Then, she'd go after me, and rip my insides out, trying to find the fucking Dango that you said that I ate?" Naruto then hushed his teammate, pointing at his pink haired teammate, who was now fidgeting in her unconscious state.

"She's waking up."

_"'__**Sasuke, if you ate my dango, then I won't be able to hold back and fry your insides instead.' **_Is what I would have said, right?" Sakura said, bolting up into a sitting position. Naruto and Sasuke jumped, crawling away from her.

_Scary..._

"Sakura!" Etsuko called. Sakura slowly turned her head and met her mother's alarmed gaze. "Dear, we've got to get a move on. Do you think that you can handle Naruto's wound. It won't stop bleeding." Etsuko explained, grabbing both Rogue Ninja's by the collars of their shirts. Sakura now started to remember that they had been attacked. She glanced at Naruto's hand. Her mother was right, it was still bleeding. A lot.

"But, where did you get that wound from? When did you get hurt?" Sakura asked no one in particular. She suddenly felt something slowly creep up her spine, and shivered. _Come to think of it, the only thing that I remember when I woke up was Naruto stepping into a puddle._

Sakura searched her small tan bag for her medical supplies. _Why is everything else so hard to remember? _She mused, while pulling out her first aid kit. She opened it, pulling out a bandage, and waved Naruto over.

_There are two Rogue Ninja, Naruto's hurt, and Tazuna's shaken up. Something _did_ happen. _

Naruto hesitantly crawled towards her, and Sakura gently took his hand, wrapping the bandages around his hand. Then her eye caught some weird coloring in his blood.

"_Shit! _Sakura, I think Naruto's been poisoned " Etsuko yelled when she inspected one of the Mist Ninja's claws. It had purple poison dripping from the tips. Sakura paled, and removed the bandages from Naruto's hand, staring at the purple liquid sizzling in his wound.

"W-Well, no shit Sherlock! He probably already has the poison running through his entire system!" Sakura cursed, dropping the bandages into her lap. Sasuke grimaced, as Sakura yanked Naruto's hand up to her eye level.

_I don't have anything useful enough to suck out the poison from his body..._

_**Well, then there's your mouth...**_

_Inner! D-Don't startle me like that! Giving me a heart attack...geez._

_**All you have to do is use your mouth to suck out the poison, and be extra careful not to swallow anything.**_

_That sounds disgusting. And awfully deadly and dangerous..._

_**Look! Do you want to save him or not?!**_

_I do! I'm just afraid of swallowing the poison._

_**If it does happen, I'll use my Chakra, to help eliminate any poison.**_

_Really? Will that work?_

_**The more you ask questions, the more Naruto's tissues start to die.**_

_FUCK!_

"I'll suck out the poison before anymore starts to enter his body!" She declared. Naruto and Sasuke was shocked. Well, she _didn't_ have any necessary materials to treat his wound. What _else_ was she supposed to do? She pulled her hair back, and bent down, but Naruto pulled his hand away before she could do anything.

He looked at her with obvious anger in his eyes. Sakura was shocked for it was the second time that his anger was directed at her. She now wanted to hide in a hole and never come back out.

"Why would you try and risk it, Sakura? What if the poison started to spread in your body and _killed_ you?! How would you think that I would feel then, if you got hurt! Hell, do you know_ how much _of a burden that _would be_?!" He questioned her blindly. His anger also made Sakura upset.

"So,_ I'm _a _burden_ now. Well, excuse me for_ trying _to_ help_! I'd be damned just _sitting_ here when one of my teammates _died_ right in front of me!" She yelled back, standing up, and clenching her fists. Sasuke got in between them.

"Oi, now's not the time to be arguing! We'll find another way to stop the bleeding!" Sasuke yelled, which was out of his character. Naruto growled and Sakura calmed down.

"Teme...!"

"Sasuke-Kun..."

_Stab!_

The two Genin snapped their heads to the side, in time to witness Naruto drive a Kunai into the poisoned wound in his hand. They were shocked at his actions, and Naruto simply smirked, pain reflecting in his eyes.

"I'll...just have...to take the pain out..._myself_...!" He said removing the Kunai carelessly. Sakura's eyes widened and she cupped her mouth.

_What the fuck is this dumbass doing to himself?!_

_**Putting up a show.**_

"Tsk, tsk. Just know that by doing that you're losing blood even faster. Which means that you die quicker." Kakashi commented, shaking his head. Naruto, started to freak out and threw his Kunai into a bush. Out jumped a white rabbit that was startled by the sudden action.

Sakura was alerted and she, Naruto, and Sasuke started to back up into a tree.

"_Duck_!" Etsuko screamed, her eyes as wide as saucers. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "Where-?" He asked. Sakura grabbed the back of his head, throwing it onto the ground, growling.

"She meant to_ take _cover, you dumb-" She was cut off when a large sword flew a couple of inches above their heads, getting close to cutting off their heads. Suddenly they all heard laughter.

Sakura slowly raised her head to see a face shielded by a mask similar to Kakashi's and gravity defying black hair. Her stomach churned and she mumbled something incoherent.

"It's another...Rogue Ninja." Naruto said slowly, his eyes widening in horror. Sakura groaned, hoping that the Ninja had not notice them.

"No shit."

* * *

**G.S. NOEL: HEH, WELL WASN'T THAT CONFUSING.**

**SAKURA: ...KUSANAGI? WHOSE THAT?**

**G.S. NOEL: INNER SAKURA'S NAME. WELL THE NAME THAT I GAVE HER.**

**SAKURA: OH, OK THEN. KUSANAGI IS REALLY...BRUTAL.**

**G.S. NOEL: SHE LIKES TO KILL.**

**SAKURA: OH REALLY, I DIDN'T KNOW**

**G.S. NOEL: STOP BEING SARCASTIC! IT'S ANNOYING!**

**SAKURA: AND SHE TAKES OVER MY BODY, AND SAVES US!**

**G.S. NOEL: NOT REALLY. SHE JUST DID IT FOR FUN.**

**SAKURA: OH...**

**G.S. NOEL: WELL KUSANAGI'S TRUE PERSONALITY IS YET TO BE REVEALED! SO, PM ME FOR ANY QUESTIONS, OR REVIEW!**

**SAKURA: AND MAKE SURE TO GO TO HER PROFILE AND VOTE ON THE POLL! **

**G.S. NOEL: REALLY? ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS? YOU COULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT IN A PREVIOUS CHAPTER?**

**SAKURA: IT JUST CAME TO ME.**

**G.S. NOEL: SADIST.**

**SAKURA: WHOEVER REVIEWS GETS A COOKIE! R&R!**


End file.
